Cathay and Google expand AI contrail-avoidance trials
Cathay Pacific and Google have begun a larger second phase of operational trials that sends AI-derived contrail forecasts to flight crews through Cathay's electronic flight folder. The programme expands from more than 100 initial flights to Cathay's Asian and trans-Pacific network, including ultra-long-haul routes.
Why it matters: It moves contrail prediction from a small flight-planning experiment toward a broader live operational test in an underrepresented region, creating evidence that airlines and regulators can assess before treating route adjustments as a repeatable climate…