Extreme space weather could disrupt flights and expose passengers to high radiation, study warns

Researchers at the Surrey Space Centre (SCC) found that these events can significantly increase radiation exposure at typical flight altitudes of 8-14 km and trigger faults in aircraft electronics – posing a challenge for flight safety. 

Although the atmosphere provides some protection, radiation exposure on many commercial flights remains significantly higher than at ground level and can surge during solar storms. A major solar storm in November 2025 caused radiation levels to briefly rise to nearly ten times normal flight conditions at high altitudes, according to measurements led by SSC, while historical data shows the strongest solar storm on record in 1956 could have exposed passengers to the equivalent of a year’s worth of flight-related cosmic radiation. 

The study also highlights the increasing vulnerability of aircraft systems. High-energy particles from space can interfere with onboard electronics, causing what is called Single Event Upsets (SEUs) – small errors that can accumulate and disrupt critical systems. Only last year, Airbus temporarily grounded 6,000 A320 aircraft after discovering a vulnerability to ‘intense solar radiation’ in a flight control computer. This was exposed by an incident in October 2025, in which a JetBlue flight from Cancún to Newark had to make an emergency landing in Florida.  

In many cases, these disruptions may present a greater operational challenge than radiation exposure to passengers and crew by increasing pilot workload and the risk of in-flight issues. In extreme scenarios, SEUs could rise from a few per hour to thousands. 

The biggest risks are on polar flight routes between airports such as London Heathrow and Vancouver International in Canada, where the Earth’s magnetic shielding is weakest. However, during severe geomagnetic storms, these effects can extend much further south, including over the UK.  

The findings highlight a gap in current aviation safety frameworks, which mostly focus on routine radiation exposure without fully accounting for extreme space weather events. The study calls for clearer guidance and better integration of space weather data into flight planning to make sure air travel is safe and reliable. 

To help the aviation sector respond more effectively, the research team has proposed a new atmospheric radiation scale. Designed specifically for aviation, it provides clearer thresholds for when action should be taken – from increased monitoring to rerouting or grounding flights during severe events. 

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Notes to editors 

• Dr Fan Lei, Prof. Clive Dyer and Prof. Keith Ryden are available for interview; please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange. 

• The full paper can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2026025