Google, Cathay Pacific expand AI trials to cut aircraft contrail warming

Google and Cathay Pacific in the latest push have announced plans to expand AI-powered trials in Asia-Pacific aimed at cutting climate-warming aircraft contrails.

As per the recent development, Google is partnering with Cathay Pacific and the nonprofit Contrails.org to test and scale contrail-avoidance operations across the Asia-Pacific region, building on early trials in the U.S. and North Atlantic.

Contrails are responsible for one-third of aviation’s total climate impact by trapping heat in the atmosphere. Contrails are the thin white lines that form behind ​aircraft when flying through humid conditions ​at high altitudes.

The partnership launched their first trials in late 2025. During the trial, Google’s AI-powered forecasting tools were employed to identify areas vulnerable to contrails. The tools also helped pilots to adjust flight altitude accordingly.

Initial trials covering over 80 flights achieved an estimated 40% reduction in the warming impact of contrails, with the Hong Kong-Singapore corridor alone accounting for over 50 percent of total emissions reductions.

Now the expanded second phase of trials will be conducted across Cathay's Asian and trans-Pacific network.

When it comes to testing the AI technology across the Asia-Pacific, Cathy Pacific is Google’s first commercial airline partner and the first one globally to test contrail avoidance on ultra-long haul flights.

Michael ⁠Yue, Google Hong Kong's managing director and general manager, said the partnership is ​to research "how predictive AI can be deployed ​in live ⁠operations to help address climate impact of contrails with today's aircrafts and today's fuel."

According to Lawrence Fong, Cathay's director of digital and IT, “Aviation needs solutions to address ⁠climate ​change, and AI is accelerating that ​progress.”

How does it work?

Predictive AI combines with satellite imagery and weather intelligence to identify contrail-forming zones in advance, allowing pilots to make minor altitude adjustments to avoid them.

Flight teams receive actionable data pre-flight and live insights through in-flight Wi-Fi and Cathay Pacific's Electronic Flight Folder (EFF) without interrupting standard workflows or affecting passenger safety.