Michael O'Leary has invited Pope Francis to fly Ryanair on his 2018 Papal visit to Ireland
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Michael O'Leary has invited Pope Francis to fly Ryanair on his 2018 Papal visit to Ireland

RYANAIR CEO Michael O'Leary has invited Pope Francis to use the budget airline to fly to Dublin for his 2018 Papal visit. 

Following a meeting with Pope Francis in November 2016, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said His Holiness confirmed he will travel to Ireland in August 2018.

Mr O'Leary told Italian news agency ANSA.it that he had invited the Pope to use Ryanair rather than the other airlines.

"We wrote inviting him to fly with us rather than with Aer Lingus and Alitalia," said the CEO of the Irish company.

"We think the Pope would do a good deed by going on a pilgrimage to Ireland with the largest airline in Italy and Ireland."

While Mr O'Leary can't promise the Pope priority boarding, he said he can guarantee the Papal flight will arrive on time.

"I guarantee [the Ryanair flight] will arrive on time," he said, "because if you will fly with Aer Lingus you will arrive late, and if you will fly with Alitalia it will surely be on a day of the strike and will not even leave."

Spokesman for the airline Robin Kiely echoed Mr O'Leary's comments and told The Irish Post the airline would be "more than happy" to carry Pope Francis to Ireland.

"We’ve already carried royalty, prime ministers and presidents, so we’d be more than happy to help His Holiness become the first Low Fares Pope.”