Labour under fire for pouring millions of pounds into 'pie in the sky' Net Zero scheme which aims to stop passenger planes leaving vapour trails in the sky, with critics warning it threatens to push up the cost of flying for families

Published: 13:01, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 13:16, 18 August 2026 Labour came under fire today for pouring millions of pounds into a 'daft' Net Zero scheme which aims to stop passenger planes from leaving vapour trails in the sky. Ministers said they were handing over nearly £3million of taxpayers’ cash for the trial, under which pilots flying Transatlantic routes will be told to avoid areas of sky where there’s a greater risk of forming trails because of atmospheric conditions. Experts claim the trails can form clouds which trap heat and contribute to climate change. But critics dubbed the scheme ‘pie in the sky’ and a ‘waste’ of taxpayers’ cash which threatens to push up ticket prices, as changing flight paths can use up more jet fuel. Under the scheme, UK transport officials and air traffic controllers will team up with the Met Office and tech giant Google to identify where planes are at risk of forming vapour trails and tell them to change altitude. Aviation minister Keir Mather hailed the ‘world first’ trial as he unveiled it this morning, adding: 'By testing small tweaks to flight paths over the Atlantic, we can cut the vapour trails left behind by planes.’ But critics branded it a gimmick that threatens to push up the cost of flying yet further for families after Labour hiked air passenger duty by an inflation-busting 15 per cent. Vapour trails, also known as ‘contrails’, are cirrus clouds that form when water vapour from jet-engine exhausts condenses and freezes around soot particles and other aerosols in the air of the upper atmosphere  Reform UK’s Net Zero spokesman Richard Tice said ministers were continuing to 'waste taxpayers' cash on daft Net Zero schemes' Aviation minister Keir Mather hailed the ‘world first’ trial, saying 'we can cut the vapour trails left behind by planes’  Tory peer Lord Mackinlay said the scheme was ‘lunacy’, adding: ‘Hundreds of millions of pounds for “sustainable” flights is more pie in the sky state planning which will add hugely to the price of every flight. ‘The behaviour is like children in a sweet shop - unfortunately the sweet shop, funded by taxpayers has nothing left to give but this seemingly does not stop them.’ Reform UK’s Net Zero spokesman Richard Tice said: ‘The Government continues to waste taxpayers' cash on daft Net Zero schemes that will achieve nothing. You couldn’t make it up.’ And Tory shadow transport minister Greg Smith added: ‘The public would rightly prefer this Government to focus on the things that actually affect the cost of flying. ‘That means keeping air passenger duty low, which Labour has failed to do, pushing up the price of family holidays. ‘We can support the transition to cleaner aviation without piling unnecessary costs onto passengers. The Government needs to do better to get that balance right.’ The 30-month trial, called Operation Blue Skies, will get underway towards the end of this year, with 20 to 40 test days taking place this winter and the same number next winter. It will use AI models and forecasting to identify where and when pilots should be told to adjust altitude to prevent leaving trails in the sky. Testing will take place during periods of lower air traffic and on flights which enter the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area, which the majority of planes on routes between Europe and America pass through. Vapour trails, also known as ‘contrails’, are cirrus clouds that form when water vapour from jet-engine exhausts condenses and freezes around soot particles and other aerosols in the air of the upper atmosphere. These can be visible in the sky from the surface of the earth. Scientists claim that they can accumulate and trap outgoing heat, accounting for as much as a third of aviation's total climate warming impact. James Shapland, of the Met Office, said: ‘Our understanding of regional weather regimes will provide an important scientific basis for the trials, and developing a global contrail forecast capability aligns with our strategic work to support the aviation industry in managing its longer-term environmental impacts.’ Google said it was participating ‘on a pro-bono basis, contributing £1.4 million in-kind through AI research expertise, engineering time, and high-performance computing infrastructure to advance open climate science.’