Flights could be grounded to stop passengers being exposed to solar flares

Solar storms could expose airplane passengers to far more radiation than previously thought (Picture: Cover Media/Nasa)

Many commercial flights may need to be rerouted or grounded to prevent passengers from being exposed to space radiation from solar flares.

Researchers at the Surrey Space Centre (SCC) recently found that the radiation exposure at typical flight altitudes of 5-9 miles could trigger faults in aircraft electronics, posing a risk to flight safety.

A major solar storm in November 2025 caused radiation levels to briefly rise to nearly 10 times normal flight conditions at high altitudes, according to measurements led by SCC.

The strongest ever solar storm on recor...