Solar Storms Challenge Aviation Safety and Expose Software Vulnerabilities

The frequency and intensity of solar flares have escalated in recent months, posing a renewed threat to modern aviation. In late October, a JetBlue Airbus A320 flying from Cancun to New Jersey suffered a sharp drop after solar radiation disrupted its autopilot controls. The incident, which resulted in an emergency landing in Florida and hospitalisation of several passengers, prompted immediate scrutiny of aircraft software resilience to space weather events.

Engineers at Airbus swiftly traced the fault to a surge of solar radiation that compromised the aircraft’s flight control computer. This event caused a rapid transition in the plane’s attitude, as corrupted binary data in the system altered key control parameters. European aviation authorities responded by ordering the grounding of certain aircraft until older, more robust software could be reinstated, temporarily removing thousands of planes from service while updates were completed.

Aircraft rely extensively on embedded computer systems, making them inherently exposed to cosmic radiation. At typical cruising altitudes, planes face radiation levels hundreds of times greater than at ground level. Radiation from solar storms is capable of inducing ‘bit flips’ in semiconductors, corrupting memory in critical systems such as autopilot, navigation, GPS, and engine management. The recent increase in radiation is attributed to the peak of the current solar cycle, which scientists measure at intensities not seen for two decades.

Industry specialists warn that contemporary aircraft, with highly integrated digital networks, are especially vulnerable. Older standards for computer hardware did not require radiation assessment, and it was only in 2015 that such considerations became routine for certification. Software approval, in many cases, continues without explicit evaluation of radiation resistance.

Following the JetBlue incident, the European Aviation Safety Agency highlighted the potential for catastrophic loss of control if a critical system suffered a failure during a severe solar event. Aircraft are designed with backup computers; however, redundancy is compromised if all systems operate using the same vulnerable architecture and software.

Regulatory authorities currently place the responsibility for assessing space weather risks on airlines, including the rerouting of flights to avoid high radiation zones. Yet, there is growing debate over whether this approach remains sufficient given the increasing volatility of solar activity. Calls have been made for industry regulators to enforce more stringent standards and for manufacturers to strengthen the resilience of safety-critical aviation software to ensure the continued safety and reliability of flight operations.