Flight Radiation Reached 20-Year High During Recent Solar Outburst, Scientists Confirm

The Sun is currently in its active phase and has been unleashing a steady stream of powerful solar flares, triggering severe geomagnetic storms on Earth. But the consequences of these solar outbursts may be more significant than the occasional satellite disruption or sudden appearance of brilliant Northern Lights, as new research warns.

In a recent release, the Surrey Space Center (SSC) in the United Kingdom reported that a burst of solar activity caused a sharp radiation spike strong enough to be detected at ground level. Early analyses revealed that radiation levels at 40,000 feet (12,192 meters)—altitudes frequented by commercial airplanes—peaked at ten times the normal range, surpassing the previous record set nearly 20 years ago.

“This was the strongest ground-level event we’ve seen since December 2006,†Clive Dyer, a climate scientist at the University of Surrey in the U.K., said in the statement. “We know from historical observations that significantly bigger events are possible, and we need to be ready.â€

In recent solar events…

The Sun follows a 22-year magnetic cycle, with solar activity rising and peaking roughly every 11 years. But when conditions are right, solar flares—intense bursts of radiation—also fire off coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or large plasma expulsions that tamper with Earth’s magnetic field as they head toward the planet.

NASA M2M SWO estimate the speed of the CME at 1856 km/s – a very fast CME! The animation of the CME in Cor2 data is absolutely spectacular. Big, fast CME. Bulk headed for us. I think it is safe to say this will be one of the most impressive near side CMEs of the cycle (fingers… https://t.co/nkNhspZo9i pic.twitter.com/9dRXkiSAPS

— Jure Atanackov (@JAtanackov) November 11, 2025

This can trigger geomagnetic storms and disrupt communication systems, so experts at institutions like NOAA closely monitor solar activity to issue warnings as early as possible. When a frisky sunspot cluster blasted away solar flares early last month, NOAA managed to capture and report on the incident.

Peak research opportunity

Naturally, researchers jumped at the chance to directly measure future severe solar events; the SSC launched weather balloons right as a particularly powerful solar flare struck Earth on November 11. The balloons flew right up to aviation altitudes, enabling researchers to collect live data on radiation levels during the solar storm.

“Because this type of event is highly unpredictable, it’s essential to capture as much data as possible when they do occur,†Keith Ryden, SSC head, said in the statement. “This was our first chance to use the new rapid-reaction balloon sensors in a real event and it worked very well, giving us a ‘3D’ picture of radiation increases across UK airspace for the first time.â€

Problematic outbursts

Alarmingly, this solar freakout caused an aviation freakout. Last week, Airbus recalled thousands of its A320-family aircraft for critical software patches and canceled flights during the peak Thanksgiving travel season, citing “significant logistical challenges and delays†caused by solar radiation.

The SSC report confirmed that at the storm’s peak, elevated radiation levels could have caused about 60 errors per hour per gigabyte in an aircraft’s electronic systems. That applied only to flights on November 11, when solar flares were strongest, and not necessarily when the storms subsided last week.

The timing of the recall, on October 30, and then the cancellations last week, may reflect the limited readiness of the aviation industry for space weather events. Aircraft are “bathed in cosmic rays continuously,†Dyer told Spaceweather.com. “This can result in anomalies even when no solar storm is happening.â€

The heightened radiation levels are concerning, yes, but more for the aircraft’s electronic systems than the health of passengers, he added.

“I can only believe that the Nov. 11th event focused minds on this problem,†Dyer mused. Tony Phillips of Spaceweather.com noted that the planes probably were not “properly hardened against this kind of glitch†caused by high-energy particles from solar events, adding, “Upgrading the flight software is a good idea!â€