Avoiding Contrails on Night & Winter Flights Is Aviation’s Fastest Climate Win — New T&E Study - CleanTechnica

A new study by Transport & Environment (T&E) reveals that contrail-induced warming from European aviation is highly concentrated in specific times and flights, presenting a significant opportunity for climate mitigation. Although night flights in autumn and winter constitute only 10% of European air traffic, they are responsible for 25% of contrail-related global warming. Contrails form when aircraft fly through cold, humid air, creating persistent clouds that trap heat and contribute to global warming at levels comparable to aviation’s CO₂ emissions. Notably, just 3% of flights caused 80% of contrail warming in 2019, indicating that targeted adjustments could yield substantial climate benefits. The study highlights that rerouting or slight altitude changes to avoid cold, humid atmospheric regions—especially over the North Atlantic, where long-haul flights dominate contrail formation but traffic density is low—could dramatically reduce contrail warming. Long-haul flights over five hours accounted for 40% of contrail warming while representing only 10