Google and UK test contrail avoidance over North Atlantic

Google UK and the UK Government are launching Operation Blue Skies, a state-backed trial designed to reduce aviation contrails across Shanwick airspace in the eastern half of the North Atlantic corridor. The programme will use AI, satellite imagery and weather forecasting to identify areas where aircraft are likely to create strongly warming contrails, allowing air traffic controllers to route selected flights around them.

The 30-month programme expands earlier AI-powered contrail forecast tests involving American Airlines, EUROCONTROL’s Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre and FlightKeys. Shanwick airspace accounts for approximately 5% of global contrail warming, and around 10,000 flights from hundreds of cities are expected to pass through the trial area during operating hours each year. Only a small percentage of flights are expected to need adjustments.

The consortium includes Google UK, NATS, Contrails.org, Imperial College London, the University of Cambridge and the UK Met Office. Google UK will provide £1.4 million ($1.9 million) in AI expertise, engineering time and computing infrastructure on a pro-bono basis, while UK government grant funding will support academic, non-profit and aviation partners. Independent evaluation will assess whether the approach can deliver climate benefits safely and without significantly increasing fuel use.