Lufthansa Aircraft Marks 15 Years of Supporting Climate Research - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 has reached a unique milestone in aviation and climate science. As flight LH405 travels from New York to Frankfurt on 7–8 July 2026, the aircraft will mark exactly 15 years of collecting atmospheric data for the European research programme IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System) during regular passenger operations.

The aircraft, registered as D-AIGT and named after the German city of Viersen, began its scientific mission on 8 July 2011 with a flight from Frankfurt to Lagos, Nigeria. At the time, Lufthansa and Forschungszentrum Jülich became the first airline and research institution to establish continuous long-term atmospheric observations using scheduled commercial flights.

More than 30 years of scientific partnership

The Lufthansa Group's involvement in atmospheric research began even earlier. Between 1994 and 2014, two Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 aircraft were equipped with the predecessor MOZAIC measurement system, laying the foundation for more than three decades of continuous support for climate and atmospheric research.

The programme has since expanded. A second IAGOS system was installed aboard a Lufthansa Airbus A330-300 in 2015, an aircraft now operated by Discover Airlines. In 2022, a third long-haul aircraft joined the programme, allowing up to three Lufthansa Group aircraft to collect atmospheric measurements on a daily basis across international routes.

Global research benefits from passenger flights

The compact measuring equipment is permanently installed beneath the aircraft cockpit. Outside air is sampled through sensors integrated into the aircraft fuselage, while all measurement data is automatically transmitted after each flight to the central IAGOS database operated by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Toulouse.

The data is freely available to the international scientific community and is currently used by around 400 research organisations worldwide. Scientists rely on the information to monitor long-term atmospheric changes, improve climate models and enhance weather forecasting. IAGOS also forms one of the key components of the World Meteorological Organization's global aircraft-based observation network.

More than 37,500 research flights completed

Using scheduled passenger aircraft allows scientists to gather atmospheric data on a scale that would be difficult to achieve with dedicated research aircraft or satellites alone. Measurements collected at cruising altitudes between nine and thirteen kilometres provide valuable insights into atmospheric processes that influence the Earth's radiation balance and climate.

Since 1994, Lufthansa Group aircraft equipped with MOZAIC and IAGOS technology have completed more than 37,500 scientific measurement flights. The resulting dataset has become one of the world's most comprehensive collections of atmospheric ozone and water vapour observations. Today, ten aircraft operated by eight airlines worldwide participate in the IAGOS programme.

Research supports more sustainable aviation

The Lufthansa Group considers atmospheric research an important part of its broader sustainability strategy. Working with scientific and research partners, the company supports projects aimed at improving the understanding of aviation's impact on the atmosphere and translating scientific findings into practical operational improvements.

In addition to its involvement in IAGOS, the Lufthansa Group is conducting research into non-CO₂ climate effects, climate-optimised flight planning and the operational use of more precise weather data to support the continued development of more sustainable aviation.

Image Credit: © Lufthansa Group