Space Weather & Aviation: Key Findings from the DLR Impact Assessment Survey

Kurzfassung

Like other components of modern technological infrastructure, aviation safety and efficiency are vulnerable to the effects of space weather events, as they depend on navigation and communication systems that can be disrupted by solar and geomagnetic activity. While these effects can be identified and better understood through substantiated research, it must also be assessed whether these disturbances have an actual impact on work processes in aviation. For that reason, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Ionosphere Monitoring and Prediction Center (IMPC) conducted an online user survey from 13th March to 28th April 2025 to gain insight how industry professionals perceive space weather threats. The results suggest that, although a significant proportion of participants are familiar with the concept of space weather, understanding of its specific impacts and associated risks is limited. The findings further reveal a perceived deficiency in communication between aviation stakeholders and space weather agencies. Consequently, this lack of communication hinders the ability of participants to identify and effectively utilize space weather services that are already available. We present and discuss the survey findings and present our recommendations to achieve and improve application-oriented space weather services for aviation.