Extreme space weather threatens aviation safety and electronics

• Solar storms pose significant risks to aviation by increasing radiation exposure for passengers and triggering electronic failures in aircraft.
• A new study from the University of Surrey proposes a precise warning system to better manage these risks compared to current, unreliable methods.
• Polar routes and high-altitude flight paths are most vulnerable due to weaker magnetic shielding.

Radiation Exposure

• At cruising altitudes (8–14 km), aircraft are exposed to cosmic radiation due to thinner atmospheric protection.
• During the November 2025 solar storm, radiation levels at flight altitude spiked to nearly ten times the normal background rate.
• Extreme historical events, such as the 1956 solar storm, could expose passengers to a year's worth of flight-related radiation in a single trip.

Impact on Aircraft Electronics

• High-energy particles from the Sun can cause "Single Event Upsets," where radiation flips bits in flight computer memory.
• While modern planes tolerate occasional glitches, extreme events can increase these errors from a few per hour to thousands, potentially causing system failures.
• A precedent exists: last year, an Airbus A320 was forced to make an emergency landing in Florida due to computer vulnerabilities caused by solar radiation, leading to a temporary grounding of 6,000 aircraft worldwide.

Proposed Solutions

• Current aviation alerts for solar activity are often inaccurate, triggering "cry wolf" warnings frequently.
• The University of Surrey team developed a new, calibrated scale using ground-based neutron monitors (such as one at Lerwick) to provide accurate data for flight planning.
• This system aims to provide clear thresholds for pilots and airlines to decide when to monitor, reroute, or ground flights based on real-time solar weather threats.