Cathay Pacific and Google have announced a new partnership to limit the production of contrails, with trials suggesting AI could significantly reduce warming impacts.

Thin, white streaks that appear in the sky behind aircraft, contrails disperse to form clouds that trap heat within the atmosphere. Google has developed an AI model that can help aircraft avoid the cold, humid atmospheric zones where contrails are most likely to be produced.

With Cathay Pacific, the tech company successfully trialled contrail avoidance across 100 flights. More than 80 followed routes that reduced the volume of contrails, limiting their warming effects by up to 40%. Michael Yue, Managing Director and General Manager, Google Hong Kong said:

At Google, we believe AI has the power to help address complex environmental challenges and our partnership with Cathay Pacific is a prime example of this in action—researching how predictive AI can be deployed in live operations to help address the climate impact of contrails with today’s aircrafts and today’s fuel.

Google are now scaling their research with the airline and the non-profit Contrails.org. Contrail avoidance will be tested on Cathay’s global network, as well as ultra-long-haul flights for the first time.

Cathay’s Electronic Flight Folder (EFF), developed in-house, will provide its pilots with Google’s dynamic contrail mapping to facilitate seamless decision-making in the cockpit. Lawrence Fong, Director Digital and IT at Cathay added:

Aviation needs solutions to address climate change, and AI is accelerating that progress. This partnership combines Cathay’s operational expertise with Google’s world-class AI capabilities to tackle complex sustainability challenges at scale. At Cathay, we believe innovation should deliver tangible and meaningful impact, and this collaboration sets a new benchmark for leadership in our industry.

Google’s AI-powered contrail avoidance software is also being deployed in the busy Atlantic corridor as part of Operation Blue Skies, a UK government-backed sustainability project.

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