The controversial new green plans, opposed by the industry, were agreed by officials on Friday

Airlines operating flights from European airports will soon have to report the estimated climate impact of vapour trails from jet engines to the European Commission, as well as the amount of carbon dioxide they emit annually.

The airline industry had lobbied hard against the new rules — adopted by government delegates behind closed doors on Friday (30 August) — saying there wasn’t enough research data on the effects of contrails.

But the European Commission, while acknowledging “inherent uncertainties” about the non-CO2 climate impact of the aviation industry, said “the net contribution to global warming [was] well known” and that the new reporting requirements would help to further knowledge.

“Studies have shown that the uncertainty in these effects is not a sufficient reason to avoid action,” the EU executive said.

Contrails contain nitrogen oxides, black carbon and other climate harming substances, and have been shown to promote cloud cover in the high atmosphere where, unlike low lying clouds, they help trap heat.