There has been exciting progress in the effort to manage contrails since last we spoke. 2024 has already seen some new endeavors raising awareness of contrails’ environmental impacts and furthering the research to alleviate the many uncertainties surrounding the implementation of contrail avoidance into real-time flights.
Here at End the Lines, we have stayed up to date with this compelling research and some of the innovative groups responsible for propelling that research forward. We’ve also reached out and made contact with a few fellow advocates for contrail avoidance. Here are some of the key organizations and people with whom we’ve had the pleasure of connecting:
- Blue Lines – an organization also dedicated to increasing public awareness of contrails. The founder, Joachim Majholm, is passionate about eliminating warming contrails to have a positive impact on the climate. We spoke with him about his organization and current projects such as his work with the RMI Contrail Task Force and discussed potential future collaboration.
- Flightkeys – a company which specializes in flight planning and is using that experience to test implementing contrail avoidance technology into their flights. We had the opportunity to chat with Alejandra Frias, the Head of Sustainability for Flightkeys, to hear about the interesting work they’re doing. They are using algorithms to forecast regions of high humidity and planning flights avoiding those areas, as they are more likely to form persistent contrails. Flightkeys is certainly an organization to keep your eye on as they look to make important progress in mitigating contrail formation through flight planning.
- MIT – a university leading the way with contrail detection research. They are involved with many projects that have the potential to clarify some of those pesky uncertainties which cloud progress on managing contrails. We shared a brief correspondence with Steven Barrett, who has led a number of studies regarding contrail formation and avoidance, including the utilization of satellites and AI to detect contrails as they form. He mentioned his interest in ARPA-E’s funded research into humidity sensors which can provide more solid data to assist in avoiding contrails; promising work that we’ll follow closely.
- 4AIR – a group focused on sustainable aviation through various programs and networks. They have a tool which tracks current policies in place for aviation climate regulation. We worked with this tool and communicated with Kennedy Ricci, the president of 4AIR, who commented on the lack of policy that exists in the U.S. regarding contrail management. Another area of opportunity which we’ll engage with this year.
- Beyond Energy – or Reviate, their contrail-focused subsidiary, is a research organization working to validate research to ultimately accredit contrail-mitigation strategies in flight planning. Breakthrough Energy is at the forefront of climate research and with its technology, can forecast and verify flight plans, working with groups like Flightkeys and Google. We shared words with the director of the contrails team, Marc Shapiro, who told us that they are working hard to eliminate some of the challenging uncertainties surrounding avoidance measures.
People and programs like these are greatly influencing the advancement of contrail avoidance research. We are thrilled to have made such connections and will continue to do so.
What Else Is New
This year has featured the arrival of a stimulating podcast centered on the sustainable aviation movement sweeping the skies. They pay special attention to the effects of non-CO2 emissions and contrails in particular. Aerospace Ambition has been an excellent resource for us at ETL as it hosts some of the forerunners in contrail research and covers the progress and feasibility of contrail avoidance.
Such progress can be achieved best through flight trials. One of the many recent exciting flights flew across the Atlantic on 100% SAF. Virgin Atlantic’s Flight100, a first-of-its-kind flight, put the merits of SAF to the test. Chase planes followed the flight gathering data on the emissions of the craft as well as the impact the fuel might have on contrail formation/elimination. The results of the data analysis for Flight100 have yet to be released, but we look forward to learning more about what the use of SAF could mean for aviation.
Chase planes, like those used for Flight100, must be equipped with finely-tuned sensors to acquire the necessary data. Better sensors, better data. That’s where the humidity probe contract granted to Aerodyne Research could change the game. The project seeks to develop and optimize measurement technology to detect and predict the formation of persistent contrails. Technology which can be applied to future flight trials to achieve superior results.
For example, Airbus’ Blue Condor contrail studying operation would benefit from such technology. These flights are investigating the impact of hydrogen-powered aircraft on the formation of warming contrails. As part of the ZEROe project which aims to have commercial flights using hydrogen fuel by 2035, the analysis of contrail effects is critical to measure its advantages and impacts.
Theoretically, by 2035 commercial flights may already be practicing contrail avoidance, so the effects of hydrogen can be lessened even further. A paper recently published in IOPscience reviews the operational aspect of implementing contrail avoidance into flight planning. The results are positive, and the research itself is a big step in drawing a few certainties out of the uncertainties.
We’ve enjoyed following these projects and gleaning news about the progress in contrail avoidance and mitigation. We will keep making connections and striving to stay tuned-in to the effort to END THE LINES. Keep an eye on our blog for recent and relevant posts and Take Action.
Thanks and blessings to all,
Michael Caldwell
Executive Director
End the Lines