Contrails: Making Flying More Sustainable with Google AI

About This Project

Summary

Contrails have a surprisingly large impact on our climate. The 2022 IPCC report noted that clouds created by contrails account for roughly 35% of aviation's global warming impact, but planes can fly without creating contrails. The challenge is knowing which routes will create them. Google Research teamed up with American Airlines and Breakthrough Energy to synthesize data and used AI to develop contrail forecast maps to test if pilots can choose routes that avoid creating contrails.

Goals & Objectives

American Airlines, Google, and Breakthrough Energy are jointly exploring contrail avoidance with AI-based technology and satellite imagery to reduce aviation’s impact on climate change. We achieved our first proof point demonstrating verifiable and statistically significant avoidance.

Results & Impact

Pilots flew 70 test flights using our AI-based predictions to avoid routes that created contrails. After these test flights, we found that the predictions reduced contrails by 54%. The tests suggest that contrail avoidance could be one of the most cost-effective climate solutions.