Climate effects reduced by Innovative Concept of Operations - Needs and Impacts Assessment

2026-07-22

CICONIA’s ambition is to improve the understanding of non-CO2 emissions with regards to the current aircraft/engine technologies and operating fleet, as well as their evolution and their climate effects, but with the clear objective to evaluate and develop impact reduction solutions covering several promising mitigation options on flight operations, through the definition of innovative dedicated Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) and their assessment in comparison to legacy operations. CICONIA wants to define and assess CONOPS solutions with engagement from all concerned stakeholders: Airlines with their OCC, Network, Met providers and Air Traffic Control. CICONIA mitigation options will offer the best proposal for reduction in climate impacts, taking into account both, the CO2 and non-CO2 climate effects. A TRL4 is targeted at the end of the 3 years project. CICONIA is composed of the four main topics: 1. A weather service that will improve weather forecasting capabilities tailored for operational mitigation concepts, provide technical enablers definition and recommendation for long term improvement that will feed a better understanding of the stakes; 2. A climate enabler that will improve climate impact assessment and models tailored for operational mitigation concepts; 3. CONOPS strategies definition: CICONIA proposes to further analyse how operational stakeholders could integrate mitigations in their plan or in their tactical operations to mitigate climate impacts. A climate enhanced operations CONOPS will be delivered and assessed with representative fast time simulation platforms, integrating weather and climate models, enabling the evaluation of a large area and long time period. These simulations will support the assessment of the complete picture from climate, economics and operational impact points of view, conducting trades on different assumptions, understanding their impact on the decision making and finally providing guidance; 4. An ATM mitigation solution through trials: Investigate multiple ATM strategies for flights to minimise or avoid persistent warming contrails, through operational trials and data analysis. This solution will focus on reducing the climate impact of non-CO2 components, specifically by minimising crossings of persistent, highly warming contrails from aircraft in oceanic airspace. CICONIA aims as well at providing material to Authorities and Regulators, to analyse the appropriate rulemaking that could serve a fair and uniformed framework to minimise non-CO2 climate effects in a global environmental centric approach addressing as well CO2. Regulations aimed at mitigating non-CO2 effects through operational measures should be proven effective from a climate benefit standpoint, fair from an economic impact on the operator's standpoint, and operationally feasible/acceptable/manageable. An Advisory Board will federate external organisations who want to take part in the CICONIA results.

France

2026-02-01