Photo: Lufthansa Group A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 has reached a unique milestone after spending 15 years collecting atmospheric data for climate research while operating regular passenger flights.
The aircraft, registered D-AIGT and named "Viersen," marked the anniversary on July 8, 2026, while operating Flight LH405 from New York City to Frankfurt.
The Airbus first entered service as part of the IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System) research program on July 8, 2011, when it flew from Frankfurt to Lagos equipped with specialized atmospheric monitoring instruments. Lufthansa and Forschungszentrum Jülich became the first airline and research institution to launch long-term atmospheric observations using scheduled commercial flights.
Photo: Lufthansa GroupThe milestone also reflects more than 30 years of Lufthansa Group support for climate science. Before IAGOS, the airline participated in the MOZAIC research program between 1994 and 2014, using Airbus A340 aircraft to collect atmospheric measurements during normal flight operations.
Today, the Lufthansa Group operates three aircraft equipped with IAGOS instruments: the Airbus A340-300 "Viersen" and two Airbus A330-300 aircraft flown by Discover Airlines.
Installed beneath the cockpit, the compact measurement system samples outside air during cruise at altitudes between 9 and 13 kilometers. After each flight, the data is automatically transmitted to the central IAGOS database operated by CNRS in Toulouse.
The information is freely available to researchers worldwide and is currently used by around 400 organizations to study long-term changes in the atmosphere, improve climate models and enhance weather forecasting. The program also contributes to the World Meteorological Organization's global aircraft-based observation system.
Since joining the MOZAIC and IAGOS programs in 1994, Lufthansa Group aircraft have completed more than 37,500 research flights, creating one of the world's largest datasets on atmospheric ozone and water vapor.
Worldwide, 10 aircraft operated by eight airlines now carry IAGOS equipment, helping scientists better understand atmospheric processes and the impact of aviation on climate.