Cathay Pacific and Google Test AI-Powered Contrail Avoidance

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has partnered with Google to advance research on contrail avoidance. The airline is testing Google's AI-powered contrail mitigation technology across its network, with a focus on ultra-long-haul flights.

The trial began in late 2025 and targeted over 100 flights, with more than 80 selected to follow contrail avoidance routes. According to Google, these flights achieved a roughly 40% reduction in the warming impact of contrails. The Hong Kong-Singapore corridor was one of the routes tested.

The airline's Director Digital and IT, Lawrence Fong, said that aviation needs solutions to address climate change, and AI is accelerating progress. Google's contrail mitigation solution combines AI-based predictive models, satellite imagery detection tools, and weather intelligence to forecast contrail-forming zones.