Travellers planning to fly via Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Airport (ETZ) this weekend will need to change their itineraries. The City of Metz confirmed in an update timestamped 27 September that the airport is reserved exclusively for the movements of Pope Leo XIV and the presidential flight as of 06:00 Saturday until the evening of Tuesday, 29 September. No scheduled services will operate; airlines have issued automatic rebookings via Luxembourg-Findel (LUX) or Strasbourg-Entzheim (SXB), 70 and 130 kilometres away respectively. The closure forms part of a wider security plan classed as a “grand événement” under Decree 2026-839. The prefecture has erected concentric security perimeters around ETZ and in downtown Metz, where the Pope will celebrate an outdoor Mass and address a Europe-themed youth gathering on Monday. All vehicles entering the red zone require pre-authorisation; ride-hailing drop-offs are banned, and free shuttle buses connect remote park-and-ride sites to the city centre. Local rail operator TER Grand Est warns of crowd-management measures at Gare de Metz. On Sunday, 27 September, all urban bus stops at the multimodal hub relocate 200 metres north to Place du Général-de-Gaulle. The knock-on effect extends to connecting TGV services: some Paris-bound trains will skip intermediate stops or have seating restrictions because of expected pilgrim demand. From a mobility-programme perspective, companies should note that same-day returns to Paris may be difficult on 28 September owing to road closures on the A31 and the re-routing of regional buses. Travel managers are recommending that assignees with Monday morning meetings in Luxembourg or Brussels travel the night before and use hotel inventory in those cities rather than risk Metz’s saturated accommodation market. Airspace users should also be aware that a separate NOTAM prohibits aerial photography and drone operations within a 15-nautical-mile radius of the cathedral and the Popemobile route from 27 to 28 September. Failure to comply may incur fines of up to €45 000 and aircraft impoundment under France’s homeland-security code.
