Against the backdrop of the COP29 conference taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, a group of aviation and climate scientists is urging faster action on contrails.
Contrails from hydrogen-fueled aircraft may form more readily and be more widespread than those from jet-fueled aircraft but have less of a climate impact.
More research is needed to understand the climate impacts of aviation’s non-CO2 emissions ahead of the formulation of policy incorporating them into the ETS.
French carrier Amelia has analyzed a dozen flight plans and modified some of them to prevent the formation of contrails as part of a broader Thales-led project.
Airbus is conducting a flight-test campaign to study the water vapor exhaust from a hydrogen fuel cell system to understand if it will create a contrail.
Breakthrough Energy, a consortium of aviation stakeholders including seven airlines, is seeking EU funding for a large-scale contrail mitigation trial.
In Europe, the monitoring of non-CO2 emissions and their role in aviation’s environmental impact is a hot topic—and airlines are not all on the same page.
At stake is avoiding large quantities of CO2 emissions, as cirrus cloud-forming contrails total an estimated one-third of aviation’s harmful climate impact.
Avoiding contrails remains up for debate. Some are already selling tools to carriers. Others argue more work is needed to mature solutions and standards.
