As airlines test new routes and researchers refine models, contrails are shifting from an afterthought of flight to a potential tool for cutting the carbon footprint of aviation.

Contrary to what some people seem to believe, contrails are not a way for the evil governments of the world use to poison us. They can, however, be harmful to the environment, with some studies ...

Most of us first spot them as children—the white lines in the blue sky that are the telltale sign of a flight overhead. Contrails are an instant visual reminder of air travel, and a source of much ...

GE Aerospace is partnering with NASA to carry out a series of flight tests designed to improve the industry’s understanding of contrails. To be performed over the week commencing 18 November, the ...

The challenge of addressing aviation’s non-carbon dioxide emissions is receiving greater attention, with the climatic impact associated with tell-tale signs in the sky coming under increased study.

Suggested Citation: "1 Overview." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. Developing a Research Agenda on Contrails and Their Climate Impacts. Washington, DC: The National ...

ALBANY, N.Y. (Dec. 4, 2025) — If you look up at the sky on a clear day, chances are you’ll notice thin, white clouds following behind airplanes— also known as contrails. The formation of these wispy ...

Matteo Mirolo, head of contrail policy and strategy at Breakthrough Energy, said “business aviation not only can but must supercharge” its climate-impact work. Credit: Mark Wagner/Aviation-Images ...

Your browser does not support iframes, but you can visit Eliminating contrails would cut aviation's climate impact by half, but can it be done? Aviation Week editors ...

Aviation’s climate impact extends beyond carbon dioxide emissions. A new study from Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and Imperial College, UK, reveals that ...

OSLO (Reuters) - Aircraft condensation trails criss-crossing the sky may be warming the planet on a normal day more than the carbon dioxide emitted by all planes since the Wright Brothers' first ...

Assuming that the radiative forcing impact of aviation-induced contrails is sufficiently strong to justify mitigation measures, it is likely that operational strategies that avoid flying through ...