A University of Surrey study has found that severe solar storms can sharply increase radiation levels at commercial cruising altitudes and trigger electronic faults in aircraft systems. The research, from the Surrey Space Centre, points to the greatest exposure risk on long-haul and polar routes, including services such as London Heathrow to Vancouver, where shielding from Earth’s magnetic field is weaker.
The findings suggest radiation can briefly rise to nearly 10 times normal levels during extreme space-weather events, while fault rates in onboard electronics may jump from a handful an hour to thousands in the most severe scenarios. Researchers involved in the work, including Dr Fan Lei, Keith Ryden and Clive Dyer, argued that current aviation procedures do not fully reflect that risk and proposed a new atmospheric radiation scale to help operators judge when to monitor, reroute or ground flights.
The study also expands the operational picture beyond passenger and crew dose limits. High-energy particles can affect avionics at typical flight altitudes of about 8 km to 14 km, creating a safety and reliability issue for airlines operating across the North Atlantic and other high-latitude corridors. Coverage of the paper linked the research to the November 2025 solar storm and to the 1956 event as a historical worst case, while noting that extreme geomagnetic activity can extend elevated risk farther south, including over the UK.