Iberia to operate special A321XLR flight for total solar eclipse

Iberia will operate a special flight from Madrid on 12 August 2026, offering passengers and researchers the opportunity to observe the total solar eclipse from an altitude of more than 10,000 metres.

Flight IB1473, whose number commemorates the birth year of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, will depart from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport at 18:45 before following a specially designed route over the province of Palencia, where viewing conditions are expected to be optimal. The aircraft will later return to Madrid.

The flight will be operated by an Airbus A321XLR, one of the newest aircraft types in Iberia’s fleet. Captain Javier Lopera Alcalá will lead the crew, assisted by First Officer Javier Meana Fernández, who also has training in astrophysics.

Iberia will livestream the eclipse through its social media channels using its new Starlink-powered high-speed Wi-Fi service, which is being progressively introduced across the airline’s fleet. The connection will enable viewers on the ground to follow real-time images of the eclipse from above the clouds.

The flight will also support a scientific mission involving researchers from the Shelios project, led by astronomer Miquel Serra-Ricart of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. The team will study the morphology of the Sun and solar corona under the clearer observing conditions available at cruising altitude.

Researchers are also expected to observe the apparent positions of Venus, Mercury and several stars around the eclipsed Sun.

“Observing from cruising altitude will allow us to have a clear view of the solar corona, free from cloud cover and other atmospheric phenomena that can make ground-based observation more difficult,” Serra-Ricart said.

Iberia Director of Strategy, Transformation and Sustainability Diego Fernández said the initiative combines aviation, scientific research and technological innovation while contributing to the study of an exceptional astronomical event.

The eclipse will be the first total solar eclipse visible from the Iberian Peninsula since 1912, making it one of the most significant astronomical events experienced in Spain for more than a century.