Skip to content

Airbus computer issue affects papal plane during trip to Turkey

The flights for Pope Leo XIV's first apostolic journey are taking place aboard an ITA Airways Airbus A320neo, one of thousands of Airbus planes affected by a computer issue, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News.
The flights for Pope Leo XIV's first apostolic journey are taking place aboard an ITA Airways Airbus A320neo, one of thousands of Airbus planes affected by a computer issue, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News.

The papal plane set to fly Pope Leo XIV from Turkey to Lebanon on Sunday is one of thousands of Airbus A320 aircraft affected by a computer issue.

Around 6,000 Airbus planes were grounded this weekend after it was discovered that intense solar radiation could interfere with onboard flight control computers, according to the BBC.

For most of the affected aircraft, the issue could be resolved with a software update, but around 900 planes, including the papal plane, needed onboard computers physically replaced.

According to Director of the Holy See Press Office Matteo Bruni, a plane arrived in Istanbul from Rome on Saturday with a technician and the replacement computer for Pope Leo’s ITA Airways A320neo. 

Leo is scheduled to take a two-hour flight from Istanbul to Beirut around midday on Nov. 30 for the second leg of his apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon.

A technician from Rome made the necessary intervention and Bruni informed the local media pool on the ground in Turkey, “They have finished the work on the airplane.”

Follow all EWTN News coverage of Pope Leo’s First Apostolic Trip here.

This CNA article has been updated and adapted by EWTN Vatican

Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today

EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp

Hannah Brockhaus

Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency’s senior correspondent in Rome. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.

Share

Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican

Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter.

More news related to this article

Pope Leo XIV urges Catholic legislators to look to Augustine’s ‘City of God’

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday urged Catholic lawmakers to draw inspiration from St. Augustine’s “City of God” as they navigate shifting global politics, warning against reducing the idea of human flourishing to mere wealth or consumer comfort.

No, Pope Francis didn’t really hint that the requirement for priestly celibacy will be lifted

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his election to the See of Peter, Pope Francis sat

Pope Francis meets with Benedict XVI’s longtime secretary, Archbishop Gänswein

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the longtime personal secretary of the late Pope Benedict XVI, met with Pope Francis this

FULL TEXT: Pope Leo XIV’s homily at inaugural Mass beginning his Petrine ministry

Pope Leo XIV delivered the following homily at the Mass for the Initiation of the Petrine Ministry in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, May 18, after being elected the 266th successor of St. Peter on May 8.

Pope Leo XIV: The liturgy is an experience of God’s unity

The pope continued his weekly lessons dedicated to the Second Vatican Council, focusing on the dogmatic constitution Lumen

Pope Leo to ‘promote the fundamental role of the family,’ former diocesan colleague says

The city of Chiclayo in Peru erupted with excitement when the news broke that American missionary Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost Martínez, who pastored their diocese from 2015 to 2023, had been elected as the new successor to St. Peter.

LIVE
FROM THE VATICAN

Be present live on EWTNVatican.com