Plane-Based Ash Scattering Takes Off with ‘Cremation Air’

A model of Cremation Air’s plane at a trade show. Credit: ConnectingDirectors, Cremation Air

Traditional funeral practices are evolving, particularly in recent years, as the culture surrounding death and memorialization has undergone significant shifts. One of the latest developments in the world of funeral and end-of-life care is the popularity of cremation over burial in countries such as the United States and England.

Traditionally, cremated remains, or cremains, are scattered in meaningful places by individual families or kept in a funerary urn. Cremation rates have risen nearly 25% since 2000, and the increase has led to an increased number of families who are choosing to have loved ones’ ashes scattered by plane. Typically, ashes scattered in the sky are handled by local independent pilots using their own private planes. With cremation rates skyrocketing, Cremation Air, LLC is the first company in the United States to offer funeral homes a nationally branded service designed to provide air scattering across the country.

According to an article from Connecting Directors in November 2025, Cremation Air has launched a specialized aerial ash scattering service designed for funeral directors to offer to families. Cremation Air is meant to provide something “meaningful and unique” for their loved one’s funeral or celebration of life, marking a prominent launch into aerial ash scattering as a more common funeral option.

Cremation Air is a business-to-business model, unlike existing consumer-oriented ash-scattering services. The need for ash scattering services has grown so prominent that this company offers a national service in the United States for funeral homes. Funeral professionals offer the process on behalf of families, including flight scheduling, GPS tracking and shipping. The company says it adheres strictly to FAA, EPA and other regulations. 

Cremation Air uses a barcode system that allows families to track their loved ones’ final journey via GPS, from receipt of the cremated remains to the actual scattering destination.

After the cremation ashes are scattered on the flight, funeral directors present a tribute video and a certificate of scattering to the family. Some view this as a more personal memento than a traditional urn. In the future, Cremation Air plans to offer LCD memorial booklets that can play the aforementioned tribute video when opened.

A heart-shaped box to hold cremation ashes, intended for handing
off before they are air scattered.

Cremation Air is not the only provider of this nationally branded service. Aerial ash scattering continues to grow in popularity, whether by drone, plane or other means. In the United Kingdom, Aerial Ashes, a drone-based scattering service founded by former Royal Air Force pilot Christopher Mace, has advocated for aerial ash scattering as a compassionate and customizable tribute. It’s estimated that the cremation rate has risen to nearly 84% as of 2024 in England and Wales, explaining why such services already exist in Europe.

Families enjoy the thought of spreading ashes over beautiful landscapes, such as the Rocky Mountains. It’s another way to allow a loved one to return to nature or a favored location, highlighting how diverse and customized modern funeral options are becoming. Cremation Air scatters cremains over “U.S. coastal waters,” including the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, with plans to expand to the Pacific Ocean in the future.

This shift indicates a larger cultural movement in how people approach death and memorials. Cremation is often more popular than traditional burial, due to cost, environmental concerns, and personal preferences. In addition to aerial ash scattering, alternatives to traditional burial include alkaline hydrolysis — marketed as water “cremation” though no fire is involved in the process — and human composting.

Although aerial ash scattering and other non-traditional funeral approaches can come with emotional and logistical complexities, the growth of these services shows a deepening intrigue in creating new, authentic and culturally relevant memorial ceremonies and approaches to end-of-life arrangements. Aerial ash scattering provides a documented, personalized, location-specific and meaningful way to honor a loved one because it can be tied to what they cherished in life.