Sustainability and Environment
Study Targets Clarity for Mitigating Contrail Impact
Airbus and 10 European partners have launched the PACIFIC program
Airbus contrails
Reducing the climate impact of contrails and other non-CO2 emissions from aircraft engines hinges on getting a more complete understanding of how these form. © Airbus

Airbus and a consortium of 10 partners from four European countries this week launched a study to assess the impact of non-CO2 emissions on local air quality and climate. The research program, called Particle emissions, Air Quality, and Climate Impact related to Fuel Composition and Engine Cycle (PACIFIC), was announced on Tuesday at the Airbus Summit in Toulouse and will focus mainly on contrails.

According to Mark Bentall, head of research and technology programs at Airbus, the PACIFIC project will use an A350 aircraft and its Rolls-Royce engines for ground tests to assess how different fuel mixes impact contrail formation. He said this approach, in which a controlled environment can be maintained, will provide more extensive data than that gathered from previous flight tests with an A320 jet.

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