The British government and Google are launching a 30-month trial called Operation Blue Skies to modify flight paths for hundreds of aircraft over the northeastern Atlantic Ocean to reduce condensation trails (contrails), which contribute to 1-2% of global warming. During test periods this winter and next, air traffic controllers will instruct some flights to deviate from their planned routes by up to 2,000 feet (610 meters) to avoid areas where contrails are likely to form. Approximately 10,000 flights are expected to pass through the Shanwick airspace during the testing, with 1% to 5% of those flights adjusting their altitude. The 5 million pound study ($6.76 million) is being funded primarily by the UK government, which is paying for more than half of the program, with Google contributing its AI-powered forecasting tool to identify high-risk contrail formation zones.
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