AI to help planes avoid climate-warming 'sky graffiti'
Summary
A UK trial called Operation Blue Skies will use artificial intelligence (AI) to help planes avoid flying through areas where climate-warming contrails form. AI will predict when and where contrails are likely, allowing air traffic controllers to guide planes to slightly different altitudes to reduce these clouds that trap heat.Key Facts
- Contrails are icy clouds created by airplane exhaust that can trap heat and contribute to climate change.
- Operation Blue Skies is a 30-month project involving Google, the UK government, the Met Office, air traffic control (NATS), and researchers.
- The trial focuses on the Shanwick Oceanic airspace over the North Atlantic, responsible for about 5% of global contrail warming.
- AI will analyze satellite images and flight data to forecast where contrails may form, then inform air traffic controllers to adjust flight altitudes by around 2,000 feet.
- Changes to flight altitude are small and similar to normal adjustments pilots make for turbulence or weather, so passengers likely won’t notice.
- Testing will happen during winter evenings and nights in 2026-27 and 2027-28 with about 10,000 flights passing through the area, only some needing altitude changes.
- The UK government is funding £2.65 million of the project; Google contributes £1.4 million in AI technology and resources.
- Early studies show the extra fuel used from changing altitude is less than 1%, which is much smaller than the climate benefit of reducing contrail warming.
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