Google and UK reroute flights around contrails using AI
Operation Blue Skies: a 30-month program tests over the North Atlantic whether AI forecasts can cut aviation's warming contrails.
Illustration · AI-generated (AI IN LIFE)
At a glance
- Operation Blue Skies runs 30 months, 5 million pound budget
- Contrails cause 1-2% of human-made warming
- Shanwick test area (North Atlantic) ~5% of contrail warming
- ~10,000 flights in the test, 1-5% rerouted
- Partners include Google UK, NATS, Met Office, Imperial, Cambridge
The UK government and Google are launching a large-scale field test to steer flights around the formation of contrails using AI. The program, called Operation Blue Skies, runs for 30 months with a 5 million pound budget, more than half of it government-funded, WTOP/AP reports.
Contrails are more than a visual phenomenon: they trap heat in the atmosphere and, according to the partners, cause 1 to 2 percent of all human-made global warming. Google contributes AI-powered forecasts that predict where contrails are likely to form, so air traffic control can route aircraft around those zones.
Testing takes place over the Shanwick Oceanic area in the North Atlantic, which the program says accounts for roughly 5 percent of contrail-caused warming on its own. About 10,000 flights are expected to cross the airspace during the tests, with 1 to 5 percent rerouted across 20 to 40 test days per winter.
Alongside Google UK, the consortium includes the Department for Transport, air navigation provider NATS, the Met Office, Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. "This could provide a blueprint for similar airspaces," said Paul Hodgson, Google's technical lead, on how airspace-wide testing differs from single-airline trials.
The approach is notable because rerouting often requires only small changes in altitude or heading - making it a comparatively cheap lever against aviation's climate impact versus new fuels.
FAQ
Why are contrails a climate problem?
They form high clouds that trap heat in the atmosphere and, per the partners, cause 1 to 2 percent of all human-made global warming.
What does Google's AI do?
It forecasts where and at what altitude contrails will form so air traffic control can steer aircraft around them.
How large is the test?
About 10,000 flights cross the North Atlantic test airspace; 1 to 5 percent are rerouted across 20 to 40 days per winter.
