Operation Blue Skies: Reducing Aviation Climate Impact With AI
Google, Tuesday, August 18th, 2026
Google and the UK government begin an airspace-scale AI trial to help airlines avoid forming contrails over the North Atlantic.
Google announced Operation Blue Skies, an airspace-scale AI-powered contrail avoidance trial run with the UK government and aviation leaders.
Contrails, the thin white lines trailing aircraft, contribute significantly to aviation's climate impact beyond fuel burn alone.
The trial uses AI to help airlines route around the atmospheric conditions where persistent contrails form over the North Atlantic.
Running the trial at airspace scale rather than per-airline is what distinguishes it from earlier experiments. Google program managers Paul Hodgson and Chaim Langermann describe the approach and what the trial aims to measure.