On the flight from Ajaccio to Rome on Sunday evening, he explained to the journalists present , according to the US portal "Crux", that he was foregoing the traditional Q&A session this time due to the short journey.
He thanked the journalists and said: "Next time we'll do the press conference."
The flight from Corsica to Rome took around 40 minutes.
However, the pontiff repeated a remark he had already made in a similar way at the Mass in the afternoon: he referred to the many children he saw during his stay in Ajaccio: "Did you see how many children there were?" He said he was happy to see a country that has children, because "that is the future".
An early birthday present
However, the press representatives used the short flight time to present Pope Francis with an early birthday present.
A journalist presented the head of the Church with a birthday cake on behalf of the International Association of Journalists Accredited to the Vatican. Francis celebrated his 88th birthday on Tuesday.
The Pope paid a one-day visit to the French Mediterranean island on Sunday.
The reason for the first trip by a pope to Corsica was a two-day congress on popular piety in the Mediterranean region.
After a meeting with church representatives at midday in the cathedral of Ajaccio, he celebrated a church service in the afternoon.
Before his return flight, he met French President Emmanuel Macron.