Minimising contrails through altitude diversions of aircraft

News - 01 February 2024

On 30 January 2024, PhD candidate Esther Roosenbrand’s study on contrails and air traffic management was featured in an article from the New Scientist, presenting a simple yet effective operational solution to reduce the climate impact of aviation.

Esther’s work, “Contrail minimization through altitude diversions: A feasibility study leveraging global data”, analyzes the possible mitigation of contrails from the air traffic management perspective. It demonstrates that small altitude adjustments could have prevented the formation of many contrails, offering mitigation strategies without hindering safety or fuel efficiency.

This research is conducted together with Dr. Junzi Sun and Prof.dr.ir Jacco Hoekstra from the CNS/ATM group.