In partnership since 2022, significant emissions reductions have been achieved by Amelia and Thales through successive trial stages targeting high-impact contrail mitigation. Today, the companies announce the successful large-scale deployment of their contrail-avoidance solution.
We sit down with Julien Lopez, Head of Green Operations for Thales, and Adrien Chabot, Director of Sustainability for Amelia, to learn more.
French aviation group Amelia and global technology leader Thales have today announced the successful large-scale deployment of a targeted contrail mitigation strategy, marking a major step-change in tackling the aviation industry’s non-CO₂ climate impact.
The initiative demonstrates how data-driven operational adjustments can deliver meaningful environmental benefits with minimal disruption, offering a practical solution for reducing emissions across the sector.
Contrails – short for condensation trails – are formed at high altitudes and are a significant contributor to an aircraft’s climate footprint, with a warming impact comparable to carbon emissions.
However, their occurrence is highly concentrated, with around five percent of flights responsible for approximately 80 percent of contrail-related effects.
Amelia and Thales’s strategy focuses on identifying these high-impact flights and applying minor adjustments to reduce their impact.
Following initial trials in 2024, the airline expanded the programme across its full operations in 2025, analysing more than 6,000 flights.
Of these, just 59 required operational changes, resulting in the avoidance of more than 2,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent – representing over one percent of the airline’s total annual footprint.
OPERATIONAL INTEGRATION; SEAMLESS DEPLOYMENT
Thales’ solution utilises advanced weather and climate modelling to predict contrail formation during the pre-flight planning stage, enabling optimised flight paths prior to departure.
During the trial, small altitude adjustments were able to reduce contrail impacts by more than 80 percent without increasing fuel consumption, addressing a key concern around potential trade-offs between sustainability and efficiency.
Operational feasibility has also been a central focus for both Amelia and Thales.
The system has been fully integrated into the airline’s existing processes and aligns with standard procedures, ensuring smooth coordination with air traffic control and avoiding additional complexity for crews.
To validate the approach, Thales combined predictive modelling with direct observation using ground-based sky cameras, confirming strong alignment between forecasts and real-world conditions.
The results underlined contrail avoidance as a scalable and immediately deployable solution.
By targeting a relatively small number of flights, airlines will be able to unlock disproportionate climate benefits with minimal operational impact.
As the aviation industry continues to invest in long-term decarbonisation solutions, contrail mitigation is emerging as a competitive and effective strategy – and one that’s available today.
Q&A WITH JULIEN LOPEZ, HEAD OF GREEN OPERATIONS FOR THALES, AND ADRIEN CHABOT, DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY FOR AMELIA
EME Outlook (EO): Currently, the contrail mitigation strategy is data-driven and supported by observational verification using cameras. As you scale the solution, how do you see the role of those cameras evolving?
Julien Lopez, Head of Green Operations for Thales (JL): “I think there are two parts to answering your question.
“First, it builds on the work scientists have been doing over several years. It’s about validating the models in advance, rather than on a flight-by-flight basis.
“That work will continue – indeed, it is accelerating now. There was a conference in London last week bringing together stakeholders from across the ecosystem, and there was a lot of discussion around scaling-up observation for model validation.
“This will likely involve a combination of data sources, including ground-based cameras, satellite data, and onboard sensors measuring factors like humidity.
“It’s the fusion of all these data streams that will help improve accuracy and strengthen confidence in the models. That’s probably the most important aspect going forwards.
“Alongside that, I do think there will still be some level of in-flight verification. Not across every flight, but on a sampled basis to assess the real-world effectiveness of contrail avoidance. It wouldn’t be feasible to do this systematically for all flights, but targeted checks will remain important.
“Ultimately, if we divide responsibilities effectively – scientists focusing on model development and validation, and operators ensuring proper implementation – whilst continuing to work collaboratively, that’s how we’ll make this approach successful.”
EO: What do you anticipate the greatest barriers being when it comes to scaling this solution more widely – technology implementation, alignment with various international sustainability regulations, the cost of roll-out, or identifying airlines to collaborate with?
JL: “Most of what you’ve outlined are indeed potential barriers – it’s the cumulative weight of them that matters.
“The primary challenge is the impact on air traffic management. If you’re trying to avoid a widespread contrail-forming area, you may have multiple aircraft wanting to occupy the same airspace at the same time.
“Managing that effectively requires a high level of coordination and collaboration between all stakeholders, and that is likely to be one of the most complex issues.
“The second key barrier is regulation. We are already working on this, but it will be essential to ensure that all operational stakeholders – particularly airlines – have the right incentives to adopt these practices.
“Some airlines, such as Amelia, are highly proactive when it comes to climate action, but that is not yet consistent across the industry. Measures that reduce fuel burn are easier to implement, as they also deliver direct cost savings.
“By contrast, contrail avoidance may introduce some additional costs. While these are relatively small – sometimes negligible in terms of fuel burn – they can involve added operational complexity, which still carries a cost.
“This is where regulation and incentives – whether through mandates or market-based mechanisms – will play a crucial role in enabling wider adoption.
“Ultimately, these are the two main challenges that need to be addressed to scale this approach effectively.”
Adrien Chabot, Director of Sustainability for Amelia: “One positive development on the regulatory side is that, at the European level, there is clear momentum.
“As part of the Fit for 55 package – a set of laws aiming to reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 – provisions have been introduced to incorporate non-CO₂ effects into monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) frameworks
“Since 1st January 2025, all airlines operating within Europe have been required to monitor and report their non-CO₂ impacts. This means that data from last year’s operations is now being compiled and analysed.
“This represents an important first step in addressing non-CO₂ emissions. The objective is to establish a robust dataset that can be used to assess the overall impact at a European scale and, in time, inform mechanisms to price these effects – whether through incentives or regulatory measures.
“It is encouraging to see how regulation can play a key role in shifting behaviour and, at present, there is a clear push towards addressing non-CO₂ impacts more systematically.”
This executive interview was produced by the editorial team at EME Outlook, a publication within the Outlook Publishing global network of B2B industry magazines.
Outlook Publishing features leadership insights and company stories from organisations shaping sectors including manufacturing, mining, construction, healthcare, supply chains, food production, and sustainability.
EME Outlook explores the organisations, leadership teams, and industries shaping business and innovation across Europe and the Middle East.
