UK Government and Google team up to cut aircraft vapour trails

The UK Government and Google have announced a £5m trial to look at how vapour trails, sometimes called ‘Contrails’ can be avoided in a bid to promote cleaner aviation.

The trial will examine whether planes can avoid flying through weather that increases long-lasting vapour trails using data from the Met Office and Googles AI models to suggest different flight paths.

Expected to last 30 months, the trial forms part of the UK Government’s funding for green aviation which also includes a £219m fund for greener fuel production.

The Department of Transport will contribute £2.6m of funding to the trial.

Speaking about the trial, Keith Mather, UK Government Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Freight, said: “We’re partnering with Google to back British experts and innovators to find practical ways to make flying cleaner.

“This is a world-first, and it’s British ingenuity leading the way. By testing small tweaks to flight paths over the Atlantic, we can cut the vapour trails left behind by planes.

“From £219 million for home-grown sustainable fuel to zero-emission aircraft, we’re backing innovation to make UK aviation cleaner, support thousands of skilled jobs, and drive growth in the sector.”

The trial forms part of Google’s Operation Blueskies and will will operate within the eastern half of the North Atlantic corridor,
including Shanwick’s airspace, which accounts for approximately 5% of global contrail warming.

The Operation Blueskies consortium includes Google UK, UK ATS provider NATS, Contrails.org, The Met Office, Imperial College London and University of Cambridge. Other partners include American Airlines, Eurocontrol’s MUAC and flight planning software provider FlightKeys.