UK and Google Launch Trial to Reduce Aviation's Climate Impact Through Contrail-Free Flight Paths

A landmark trial to reduce aviation's climate impact is underway in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. The British government and Google UK are collaborating on Operation Blue Skies, a 30-month research program that will test minor altitude adjustments to avoid contrail formation.

Flights through the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area will be told to deviate up to 2,000 feet during the winter months to reduce the likelihood of contrails forming. The trial aims to demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in contrail formation on an airspace-scale.

The UK government is paying for more than half of the 5 million pound ($6.76 million) study, with Google contributing its artificial intelligence-powered forecasts to identify contrail regions. Around 10,000 flights are expected to pass through the Shanwick airspace during the testing period, with hundreds of those flights deviating their routes.

Google's technical lead for Operation Blue Skies, Paul Hodgson, said that individual airlines have tested shifting altitudes to avoid contrail regions, but this new effort expands on those trials to try mitigating contrails across an entire flight corridor.