An Optimized Solution to Long‐Distance Flight Routes Under Extreme Cosmic Radiation

Abstract

During extraordinary space weather, cosmic radiation can be significant enough to pose a threat to aircrew health. Traditional methods of reducing massive cosmic radiation exposure include flight cancellation, lowering flying altitudes, and flight rerouting. However, flight cancellation can result in additional financial expenditures, while lowering flight altitudes and rerouting can consequently cause more fuel consumption or even violation of airspace rights. As a result, we use a multi‐objective optimization model to assign optimal flight altitude and speed to reduce the overall weighted sum of cosmic radiation and fuel consumption. The simulation scenario is based on a space weather event with dramatically increased cosmic radiation that occurs during a routine international flight from Tokyo to London. Our results show that the proposed model can reduce fuel consumption while satisfying cosmic radiation limits recommended by the Council of the European Union if the forecasts of cosmic radiation are sufficiently accurate. In addition, a Pareto frontier is provided as a tactical air traffic management guideline. Our study provides insight into future policymaking for air transportation during harsh space weather conditions.

Forward‐Looking Study of Solar Maximum Impact in 2025: Effects of Satellite Navigation Failure on Aviation Network Operation in the Greater Bay Area, China

“…Space weather events, particularly solar particle events (SPEs) and geomagnetic storms can enhance radiation levels in the upper atmosphere and at high altitudes (Bain et al., 2023; Shea & Smart, 2012). Pilots and crew members flying at high altitudes, such as those on long‐haul flights or polar routes, may experience increased radiation exposure (Tezari et al., 2022; Xue, Yang, Liu, & Wang, 2022). Airlines need to monitor these events to ensure the safety of crew and passengers, taking necessary precautions and potentially rerouting flights if required.…”

Examining the Economic Costs of the 2003 Halloween Storm Effects on the North Hemisphere Aviation Using Flight Data in 2019

“…To the best of our knowledge, there are still no international regulations on cosmic radiation limits for a certain flight plan. Therefore, it is up to each airline's responsibility to assess the radiation threat and take appropriate actions accordingly (Xue, Yang, Liu, et al., 2022). For example, an international flight (callsign: CPA829) took off from the Toronto Pearson International Airport (43.68°N, 79.63°W) at 05:53 UTC and landed at the Hong Kong International Airport (23.31°N, 113.91°E) at 20:57 UTC.…”

Air Traffic Flow Management Delay Prediction Based on Feature Extraction and an Optimization Algorithm

“…Wiliams [10] and James [11] et al have carried out a number of studies on coronal mass ejections (CMEs), proving that CMEs are the largest rapid ejection phenomenon in the solar atmosphere and the main source of disturbance for space weather. These disturbances may affect the high-frequency radio wave communications that are used by the aviation industry [12], affect the normal operation of global navigation satellite systems [13,14], and even cause increased radiation that endangers the health of flight crews and passengers [15,16]. When encountering unusual space weather, airlines respond to these threats with measures such as cancelling flight plans, lowering flight altitudes, and changing flight routes, thereby resulting in additional fuel consumption [15,16].…”

“…These disturbances may affect the high-frequency radio wave communications that are used by the aviation industry [12], affect the normal operation of global navigation satellite systems [13,14], and even cause increased radiation that endangers the health of flight crews and passengers [15,16]. When encountering unusual space weather, airlines respond to these threats with measures such as cancelling flight plans, lowering flight altitudes, and changing flight routes, thereby resulting in additional fuel consumption [15,16]. In addition, when the timing of space weather affects the normal operation of satellite navigation, aircraft must use ground navigation instead of satellite navigation, which leads to higher standards for aircraft separation and lower airspace capacity, resulting in increased flight delays, increased costs, and other problems [12][13][14].…”

“…Xue et al created a hypothetical scenario by simulating the prediction flight data of Hong Kong International Airport during a geomagnetic storm to explore the impact of GNSS positioning error on ATFM [14]. Xue et al proposed a multi-objective optimization model to assign flight altitude and speed [15]. Hands developed a new model to predict the effects of the airborne radiation environment to provide real-time information about atmospheric radiation [16].…”