Pope Francis has concluded a visit to Cyprus and Greece with a farewell ceremony at Athens International Airport.

As he headed back to Rome, he embarked on a dedicate Aegean flight.

The Greek carrier said it was honoured to have been the preferred air carrier for his holiness following a historic three-day journey from Cyprus to Greece.

Dimitris Gerogiannis, Aegean chief executive, commented: “It has been a great honour for us to offer our Greek hospitality to his holiness, Pope Francis and we hope we have contributed even by some small measure to his mission to Greece and Cyprus.”