Damaging contrails could be wiped out for just £3.50 per plane ticket, according to experts in a groundbreaking study that proposes a simple solution to tackle aviation’s contribution to climate change.
Contrails, the white lines in the sky left behind by jet planes, have been found to significantly increase global warming caused by aviation carbon emissions. However, researchers at the Transport & Environment advocacy group have identified that adjusting the flight paths of only a small number of flights could reduce global contrail warming by more than half before 2040.
The study reveals that tweaking the flight paths of as little as 3% of flights, which are responsible for about 80% of the warming associated with contrails, could have a substantial impact. This measure is estimated to cost less than £3.50 per ticket per flight and involves avoiding areas where contrails are likely to form for only a short portion of the journey.
During the upcoming Cop29 UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, the concept of contrail elimination will be explored for the first time. Contrails, composed of ice crystals that form from water vapour condensing on unburned fuel fragments in a plane’s exhaust stream in cold humid air, have been a significant contributor to the warming effect of aviation.
Transport & Environment’s aviation technical manager, Carlos Lopez de la Osa, emphasised the importance of this cost-effective solution, stating, “The aviation industry is being offered a simple and cheap way to reduce its climate impact. Some industry actors overstate the scientific uncertainty of warming contrails, but the climate benefits of contrail avoidance are huge and solutions are improving by the day.”
The research highlights that factors such as geography, seasonality, time of day, and flight latitude play a crucial role in determining the warming effect of contrails. Flights over North America, Europe, and the North Atlantic region were found to contribute significantly to global contrail warming, with evening and night flights or winter flights having the most substantial impact.
Contrail avoidance is proposed as a practical and effective solution that could be widely implemented in the next decade, provided decisive action is taken. The campaign group recommended monitoring contrails on all flights arriving and departing the European Union from 2027, preparing European airspace for contrail avoidance, and offering incentives to airlines and manufacturers.
The potential climate benefits of contrail avoidance are projected to outweigh the additional carbon emissions from re-routed flights by 15 to 40 times. This environmentally friendly measure could significantly reduce aviation’s impact on climate change while minimising costs to both the industry and consumers.
As the aviation sector faces increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, contrail elimination offers a promising avenue for immediate action. With the right strategies and investments in place, this innovative approach could pave the way for a more sustainable future for air travel.