AI pilot system to steer flights around climate-warming contrails over the Atlantic

A £5 million UK trial called Operation Blue Skies will use artificial intelligence to forecast contrail-forming zones in the North Atlantic and guide aircraft to adjust altitude, aiming to cut aviation-related warming.

Operation Blue Skies, a £5 million initiative spanning 30 months, will evaluate whether AI can help aircraft avoid the formation of warming contrails above the North Atlantic. Google will analyse satellite imagery and historic flight data to pinpoint atmospheric conditions that favor persistent contrails, then combine this with weather models to produce real-time avoidance zones. The information will be passed to NATS, allowing air traffic controllers to request modest altitude adjustments—typically about 2,000 ft—from pilots, a change that passengers are unlikely to notice.

The trial focuses on the Shanwick Oceanic sector, responsible for roughly 5 % of worldwide contrail-induced warming, and will run on selected winter nights in 2026-27 and 2027-28, covering an estimated 10,000 flights. Funding comes from the Department for Transport (£2.65 million) and Google (£1.4 million) for AI research and computing resources. Early estimates indicate the extra fuel consumption per affected aircraft is less than 1 %, far outweighed by the reduction in contrail-related heat trapping. Results will be published in academic journals for broader scientific review.