Google, NATS and UK research partners will launch Operation Blue Skies in Shanwick oceanic airspace over the North Atlantic, beginning the world’s first state-backed trial to avoid contrails across an entire airspace corridor. The 30-month programme, supported by the UK government through the Department for Transport and the Aerospace Technology Institute, will test minor altitude changes for aircraft during selected winter periods rather than large reroutes.
The consortium also includes the Met Office, Contrails.org, Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. Google will provide AI-based forecasting and computing support, while NATS will coordinate air traffic management and controller training for the trial. The operational testing is planned for the winters of 2026-27 and 2027-28, covering around 20 to 40 days each winter and about 10,000 flights through trial hours annually.
The eastern half of the North Atlantic corridor accounts for about 5% of global contrail warming, making the Shanwick sector a priority for the programme. The £5 million project is designed to use contrail forecasts across an entire airspace for the first time, extending beyond the airline-by-airline trials that have previously been used. Contrail warming is most concentrated between November and February, which is why the trials are timed for winter.