REDUCT seeks to advance Europe’s environmental assessment tools for understanding and mitigating the climate impact of aviation, with a special focus on contrail formation and its integration into air traffic management (ATM) systems. The project directly addresses SESAR’s exploratory research priority on the “ATM impact on climate change” (FR-1), which seeks a deeper understanding of the ATM system’s impact on climate change. The ultimate goal is to enable more climate-friendly aviation by improving understanding of contrail formation, persistence, and mitigation, while balancing environmental benefits with operational performance.
Contrails—formed by ice crystals from aircraft exhaust—can evolve into cirrus clouds that trap heat, producing short-lived but significant warming. Their total climate effect may equal or exceed aviation’s CO2 emissions. Targeted rerouting and the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) could reduce contrail-related warming by up to 60% with minimal additional CO2 emissions.
The project’s technical objectives are:
- Improving prediction and impact assessment of contrails, accounting for humidity, cloud evolution, and embedded contrails.
- Incorporating effects and uncertainties from new fuels and aircraft types.
- Analysing environmental-performance trade-offs in ATM mitigation measures.
- Supporting informed operational decision-making to minimise climate impact.
REDUCT leverages advanced numerical weather prediction, machine learning, and uncertainty modelling to guide climate-sensitive flight planning. It also addresses the challenge of communicating complex findings through clear visualisations and stakeholder engagement, ensuring practical adoption across Europe’s densely trafficked airspace.
By advancing contrail forecasting, operational feasibility studies, and climate-optimised ATM strategies, REDUCT provides one of the most immediate, cost-effective levers for reducing aviation’s short-term climate impact, fully aligned with SESAR’s climate research priorities.
