Can Rerouting Planes Cut Aviation’s Climate Impact? An Airspace-Wide Contrail Trial Will Test It

Airlines flying over parts of the Atlantic could see more rerouting this winter as a trial to avoid climate-warming contrails gets underway. Operation Blue Skies will cover the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area, a hotspot for the creation of contrails, and test whether tweaking flight routes to avoid areas likely to result in contrails can meaningfully cut warming. Condensation trails, known as contrails, form when soot and water vapor from aircraft engines mix with cold, humid air. The water vapor condenses and freezes into ice crystals, which can then spread into thin, cirrus-like clouds. Some dissipate quickly, but those that linger can trap heat in the atmosphere. The Shanwick airspace is the eastern half of the North Atlantic corridor that is controlled by the UK air traffic controller National Air Traffic Services (NATS). The £5 million Operation Blue Skies is part funded by the UK’s Department for Transport, which contributed £2.