China Airlines (Taipei) has dedicated one of its Airbus A340-300s for climate monitoring analysis, becoming the third airline after Lufthansa and Air France. China Airlines will be followed by Cathay Pacific later this year.

The company has issued the following statement:

“The first China Airlines (CAL) A340-300 equipped with IAGOS  (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System) instruments was officially unveiled on June 26. The aircraft livery combines an image of a flight attendant with environmental motifs, emphasizing CAL’s active contribution to global environmental protection as part of its corporate social responsibility. Through the new airplane, CAL invites passengers to participate in ecology preservation through green energy and environmental protection.

In support of the “Pacific Greenhouse Gases Measurement Project” being run jointly by Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), the National Science Council and the National Central University, CAL’s Airbus 340-300 aircraft with the identity number B-18806 has been installed with the IAGOS instrument. CAL is therefore the first Asian airline to join the PGGM (Pacific Greenhouse Gases Measurement) project to monitor greenhouse gases and the first to operate an IAGOS-equipped aircraft for taking atmospheric measurements on trans-Pacific routes.

The IAGOS instrumentation is installed in the avionic compartment underneath the cockpit on the CAL A340-300 passenger aircraft. A sampling port extending from fuselage collects data on atmospheric gases, water vapor, ozone, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide during each flight. The collected data is automatically transmitted by satellite to the European research center after landing, providing the global scientific community with valuable data for research on global warming and climate change. The EPA and the National Central University will also combine the data collected by CAL with observations from FORMOSAT-3 satellite, ground weather stations and sea observations to analyze the sources and vectors of air pollution. The information can be used as a reference when formulating air pollution control policy.

The CAL climate observation aircraft has made its maiden return trip to Hong Kong. The aircraft will mainly operate on the Taipei-Vancouver route in the future to facilitate the recording of atmospheric data over the Pacific. The official name of the project “PGGM-Pacific Greenhouse Gases Measurement¨ is painted on the nose of the aircraft while both sides of the fuselage will display “The Official Airline for Climate Monitoring¨. The aircraft livery itself features the Earth cradled by a flight attendant to inspire passengers to protect the environment. CAL’s President, Huang-Hsiang Sun has set this year as “Eco Year “. Apart from actively promoting a green quality policy and corporate environmental management, CAL is continuing to introduce more eco-friendly services through paperless electronic operations, use of local food ingredients, recycling and reuse items. CAL hopes these initiatives will inspire more passengers to take part in energy saving.

In 2011 the EPA presented CAL with an award for outstanding performance under the “Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction Action Mark¨. In the following year, CAL also won “Super Green” Judge’s Award as well as the First Prize in the transportation category of the third “2012 Green Brand Survey” conducted by Business Next magazine. The awards all served to recognize CAL’s long-term support for the environment. CAL is now also promoting e-Check In, mobile electronic boarding passes, self-printed boarding passes, KIOSK services and self-printed luggage tags. The e-services will help CAL achieve the goal of paperless operations and CAL is now the most effective airline at implementing electronic operations in Taiwan.”

Top Copyright Photo: Manuel Negrerie. Airbus A340-313X B-18806 (msn 433) taxies at the Taipei base with the special stickers.

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Bottom Copyright Photo: China Airlines.