Google and UK researchers launch Operation Blue Skies AI trial to predict and avoid aircraft contrails
Partnership Provisional 92% confidence first seen
Google is partnering with UK researchers and the aviation industry on a 30-month trial called Operation Blue Skies to use AI to predict where aircraft contrails form and redirect planes to avoid them. The project will test altitude adjustments of approximately 2,000 feet in the Shanwick airspace over the North Atlantic during winter 2026-27 and 2027-28, affecting around 10,000 flights. If successful, the approach could reduce aviation's climate impact without significantly increasing fuel consumption.