The UK and Google are testing changes to flight paths to tackle aviation’s climate impact
The 30-month project will test whether route and altitude changes can cut contrail warming without waiting for new aircraft or engines.
- Britain is utilizing Google artificial intelligence to predict persistent contrails over the North Atlantic, aiming to help aircraft avoid atmospheric conditions where these trails form and reduce aviation's climate impact.
- Persistent contrails form when jet exhaust freezes into ice crystals in cold, humid air, then trap heat as clouds, creating a significant non-CO2 contribution to climate change that current engine technology cannot address.
- The Department for Transport is investing £2.6 million into a 30-month project combining Met Office weather forecasts with Google technology to suggest alternative flight paths, with tests scheduled for winters 2026-27 and 2027-28.
- Changing an aircraft's route or altitude can burn additional fuel, potentially increasing CO2 emissions, so the trial must determine whether avoiding persistent contrails outweighs the extra fuel burned during these adjustments.
- Aviation minister Keir Mather said the partnership aims to "find practical ways to make flying cleaner," joining broader government investments of £219 million for sustainable fuel and £43 million for electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft.
51 Articles
51 Articles
Google’s AI Takes Aim at Aviation’s Hidden Climate Threat: Contrails
High above the Atlantic, thousands of jets carve invisible paths every day. Most leave behind faint white lines. Those lines, known as contrails, trap heat in the atmosphere. Scientists say they account for roughly one-third of aviation’s total climate impact. More than the carbon dioxide from the fuel burned on those same flights. From Proof of Concept to Airspace-Scale Trials Google has spent years refining artificial intelligence models that …
Google Launches ‘Operation Blue Skies’ to Tackle Contrails
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Private and commercial aircraft are followed by a very long polluting trail that could be avoided. Google is already testing measurements.
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