Google and the UK government have launched Operation Blue Skies, a 30-month project testing whether airplanes can avoid creating climate-warming contrails. The trials will take place over Shanwick airspace in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean during the next two winters. Contrails, formed when water vapor condenses around jet exhaust in cold, humid air, are estimated to account for about one-third of aviation's total climate impact.

Air traffic controllers will use AI-powered forecasting models provided by Google to identify atmospheric regions where vertical adjustments of up to 2,000 feet could reduce contrail formation. Of the 10,000 flights expected to cross the region each year during the trial period, only about one to five percent will be rerouted, with adjustments kept within normal operations.

Google is contributing £1.4 million ($1.9 million) pro bono, while the UK government provides over half of the project's £5 million ($6.8 million) budget. NATS, the UK's air navigation provider, will handle operational aspects. Additional partners include Contrails.org, the Met Office, Imperial College London, and the University of Cambridge.

The project aims to demonstrate that AI forecasts and satellite imagery can effectively identify areas where flights are most likely to create warming contrails, potentially leading to scalable solutions for reducing aviation's environmental impact.