Clear-air turbulence, which is invisible and hazardous to aircraft, has increased in various regions around the world, report University of Reading scientists.
Passenger aircraft could cut fuel costs and carbon emissions by taking better advantage of favourable winds at altitude, a new study reveals.
UK experts say commercial flights between New York and London last winter could have used up to 16 per cent less fuel if airlines made better use of fast-moving winds.
Total reductions would have added up to 6.7 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions across this period (from December 2019 to February 2020).
Carbon emissions from plane travel, which are focused in the upper atmosphere, are considered among the greatest contributors to global warming.
Earth-warming nitrogen oxides form when oxygen and nitrogen in the air interact during the high-temperature combustion events associated with jet fuel engines.