UK and Google Launch Trial to Reduce Harmful Aircraft Contrails 
A new £5 million UK trial backed by Google will use artificial intelligence to help aircraft avoid forming climate-warming contrails — the white trails often seen behind planes in the sky.
The programme, known as Operation Blue Skies, will use AI to analyse satellite images, flight information and weather forecasts to predict where persistent contrails are likely to form over the North Atlantic.
Air traffic controllers could then ask pilots to adjust their altitude by up to 2,000 feet to avoid those areas.
Why Contrails Matter
Most aircraft trails disappear quickly, but some remain in cold, humid conditions and spread into thin clouds that can trap heat in the atmosphere.
Researchers estimate that contrails make a significant contribution to aviation's overall climate impact, although the exact scale remains uncertain.
Can AI Make a Difference?
The trial will test whether small changes to flight paths can significantly reduce contrail warming without creating a larger environmental cost through additional fuel consumption.
The project will run across the 2026–27 and 2027–28 winters, with researchers expected to assess whether the approach can eventually be expanded to other airspace.
If successful, the technology could offer airlines a relatively simple way to reduce part of aviation's climate impact without requiring new aircraft or engines.a