Google and UK Government Trial AI to Cut Aviation Contrail Impact

Google and the UK government have begun Operation Blue Skies, a 30-month trial over Shanwick airspace in the northeastern Atlantic. AI forecasting models will identify contrail-prone regions so NATS air traffic controllers can reroute flights with altitude changes of up to 2,000 feet. Contrails — condensation trails that trap heat — account for roughly one-third of aviation's climate impact. Trials run across the next two winters.