Boeing, Honeywell collaborate on aircraft sensor prototype for contrail prediction

LONDON - Honeywell is collaborating with Boeing and the University of Reading on a U.K.-funded effort to develop aircraft-based sensing technology to improve understanding and mitigation of aviation contrails.

The project, known as Project MIST, is funded through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) program and focuses on advancing in-flight atmospheric sensing to improve contrail forecasting accuracy and enhance numerical weather prediction models. Contrails are ice-crystal clouds formed when hot, humid jet-engine exhaust mixes with cold, high-altitude air and are increasingly recognized for their non-CO2 climate impacts.

Honeywell in Charlotte, N.C., will lead sensor hardware integration and systems engineering, leveraging its U.K.-based aerospace engineering and manufacturing capabilities. The effort centers on developing a prototype humidity sensing capability that can be integrated onto aircraft platforms to help validate and enhance numerical weather prediction models and support emerging contrail-avoidance strategies.

Boeing in Arlington, Va., will contribute aircraft integration, test, and operational expertise. Work will be conducted primarily at the company’s Bristol, U.K., site, with additional support from a team in Seattle. Boeing’s role includes evaluating sensor performance in representative aviation environments and applying its expertise in contrail formation and mitigation strategies.

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The University of Reading in Reading, U.K., through its Department of Meteorology, will provide contrail modeling and climate analysis. The department has led research into the climate impacts of aviation for more than three decades and plays an active role in national and European non-CO2 research initiatives, including participation in the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s Aviation Non-CO2 Expert Network.

"There is a clear need across the aviation ecosystem for more accurate, high-frequency atmospheric data collected in flight. By advancing aircraft-based sensing technologies, this project aims to help close critical data gaps that affect contrail forecasting, weather modeling, and climate analysis," Anthony Florian, President, Honeywell Aerospace Europe, Middle East, Africa & India, said. 

Current tech limits

The project addresses limitations in current in-service humidity sensing. Existing humidity sensors have limited measurement capabilities and adoption across commercial fleets, while alternative technologies often require significant redesign to enable widespread airline deployment. Addressing these challenges is critical to improving forecasting accuracy and reducing uncertainty around aviation’s non-CO2 climate impacts.

"Our aircraft already serve as meteorological platforms to provide data on winds, temperature, icing, and turbulence in support of our customers and industry global operations," said Dr. Tia Benson Tolle, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Product Development Sustainability director. "We are excited to work with ATI, Honeywell, and the University of Reading on a new water vapor sensor capability, as humidity observations are essential to improve weather and contrail forecasting."

"Frequent, high-quality measurements of humidity are crucial for calculating the climate impact of flights and one day reduce that impact," said Nicolas Bellouin, Professor of Climate Processes, University of Reading. "In Project MIST, the University of Reading will study how better sensors and an optimized use of aircraft equipped with those sensors allow better contrail predictions, which will be a critical component of future contrail mitigation actions."

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The work aligns with the ATI program’s non-CO2 technologies roadmap, which identifies improved atmospheric sensing as a key enabler for reducing aviation climate impacts beyond carbon emissions. The program is coordinated by the ATI, the U.K. Department for Business and Trade, and Innovate UK.