AI plan to cut aircraft contrails wins €10,000

A €10,000 prize in Madrid, Spain, goes to an AI idea that could help airlines avoid aircraft contrails before take-off. On 3 November 2026, Enaire names Adrián López’s Aero Trail Guard the winner of its business ideas contest. The money will be paid in stages.

The tool uses weather forecasts and ground-based observations to predict where contrails would linger and contribute to warming. It checks those forecasts against records of earlier flights, then aims to suggest flight levels to airlines before a plane departs.

Enaire says the tool could cut the warming effect of contrails, measured as radiative forcing, by 65% to 73%. Its estimate of a 22% net reduction in CO₂ equivalent over 20 years is based on an analysis of 84,839 flights. The idea still needs testing: López will receive two months of support from Enaire staff to develop a prototype and carry out a proof of concept.

Topics: Air travel · Environment

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com