China Airlines (CAL) is planning to conduct the world’s first trans-Pacific climate observation flights.
The airline will operate selected flights to North America using an Airbus A340-300 equipped with IAGOS (In-Service Aircraft Global Observing System), which will monitor greenhouse gases and take atmospheric measurements.
A sampling port extending from aircraft’s fuselage collects data on atmospheric gases, water vapour, ozone, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide during each flight. This data is then automatically transmitted by satellite to a European environmental research centre, providing the scientific community with data for research on global warming and climate change.
The initiative is in support of the ‘Pacific Greenhouse Gases Measurement Project’ being run by Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).
CAL’s IAGOS-equipped A340 will be recognisable by a new livery, which includes an image of flight attendant holding the Earth.
