In 2023, Google partnered with American Airlines to show that pilots using AI-based forecasts could reduce contrails on a small set of test flights. A 54% reduction across 70 flights marked the industry’s first proof point that commercial flights could verifiably reduce their contrail impact — but identifying the right flights still required hours of manual coordination.
Our new study shows what happens when contrail avoidance is built directly into the tools airlines already use. Google’s AI contrail forecasts were integrated into American Airline’s flight planning software and used in a trial of 2,400 transatlantic flights that were part of the airline’s standard schedule. For the flights that successfully flew the contrail avoidance plans, there was a 62% reduction in contrail formation rate compared to the control group.
We’re excited to scale this work and continue our research and partnership with the industry to automate contrail avoidance, a solution that offers a scalable and cost-effective way to reduce the climate impact of flying. Results like these bring that reality within reach.
