Cathay Pacific and Google Team Up to Tackle Contrail Warming

Cathay Pacific and Google have partnered to research and trial AI-powered contrail avoidance technology. This collaboration marks a significant step towards reducing aviation's climate impact.

The partnership aims to advance understanding of contrails, which are clouds that form when aircraft fly through certain cold and humid conditions at high altitude. While many contrails disappear quickly, some persist and spread into broader cloud formations, trapping heat in the atmosphere.

Cathay Pacific has been working towards addressing climate change through various approaches, including reducing CO2 emissions through fleet modernisation and operational efficiency improvements. The airline recognises the importance of growing scientific understanding of non-CO2 climate effects, such as contrails.