Cosmic radiation on flights from Dubai (DXB) to New York (JFK)
A flight from Dubai International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport at 35,000 ft, about 13 h 36 min in the air, receives about 0.0516 mSv (51.6 µSv) of cosmic radiation: about half a chest X-ray. That is the FAA's CARI-7 model run for this route with the solar conditions of August 2026.
Updated · solar conditions of August 2026
- Dose
- 51.6 µSv0.0516 mSv
- Time in the air
- 13 h 36 minestimated
- Dose rate
- 3.8 µSv/haverage, 35,000 ft
- Chest X‑rays
- 0.52at 0.1 mSv each
Key facts: DXB → JFK
| Dose, standard flight | 0.0516 mSv (51.6 µSv) |
|---|---|
| Time in the air | 13 h 36 min, estimated from distance and prevailing winds |
| Cruise altitude | 35,000 ft |
| Average dose rate | 3.8 µSv/h |
| Great-circle distance | 11,002 km (6,836 mi) |
| Furthest from the equator | 57.4°N |
| Solar conditions | August 2026 |
The standard flight is CARI-7, the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's model, run on the dev machine for this route: 35,000 ft, 13 h 36 min in the air (climb 25 min, cruise 774 min, descent 17 min), effective dose per ICRP Publication 103. How it's calculated.
How the sun changes the dose on DXB → JFK
The sun's 11-year cycle moves this number. With the same 13 h 36 min at 35,000 ft, the flight would have received 0.0642 mSv in April 2020, when the sun was quiet and more galactic cosmic rays reached the atmosphere, and 0.0409 mSv in January 2026, near solar maximum: 57% more at the quiet end. In August 2026 it is 0.0516 mSv.
The numbers behind the chart
| Month | Dose | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| January 2016 | 56.7 µSv | 0.0567 mSv |
| April 2016 | 58.3 µSv | 0.0583 mSv |
| July 2016 | 58.1 µSv | 0.0581 mSv |
| October 2016 | 60 µSv | 0.06 mSv |
| January 2017 | 60.7 µSv | 0.0607 mSv |
| April 2017 | 62.2 µSv | 0.0622 mSv |
| July 2017 | 61.1 µSv | 0.0611 mSv |
| October 2017 | 60.5 µSv | 0.0605 mSv |
| January 2018 | 61.6 µSv | 0.0616 mSv |
| April 2018 | 63.2 µSv | 0.0632 mSv |
| July 2018 | 62.9 µSv | 0.0629 mSv |
| October 2018 | 64.1 µSv | 0.0641 mSv |
| January 2019 | 61.1 µSv | 0.0611 mSv |
| April 2019 | 64 µSv | 0.064 mSv |
| July 2019 | 63.1 µSv | 0.0631 mSv |
| October 2019 | 64 µSv | 0.064 mSv |
| January 2020 | 63.6 µSv | 0.0636 mSv |
| April 2020 | 64.2 µSv | 0.0642 mSv |
| July 2020 | 63.8 µSv | 0.0638 mSv |
| October 2020 | 63.8 µSv | 0.0638 mSv |
| January 2021 | 61.6 µSv | 0.0616 mSv |
| April 2021 | 64 µSv | 0.064 mSv |
| July 2021 | 62.5 µSv | 0.0625 mSv |
| October 2021 | 62.7 µSv | 0.0627 mSv |
| January 2022 | 61.4 µSv | 0.0614 mSv |
| April 2022 | 60.8 µSv | 0.0608 mSv |
| July 2022 | 55.8 µSv | 0.0558 mSv |
| October 2022 | 57.6 µSv | 0.0576 mSv |
| January 2023 | 52.6 µSv | 0.0526 mSv |
| April 2023 | 53.2 µSv | 0.0532 mSv |
| July 2023 | 50.2 µSv | 0.0502 mSv |
| October 2023 | 50.5 µSv | 0.0505 mSv |
| January 2024 | 47.6 µSv | 0.0476 mSv |
| April 2024 | 49 µSv | 0.049 mSv |
| July 2024 | 49.4 µSv | 0.0494 mSv |
| October 2024 | 43.2 µSv | 0.0432 mSv |
| January 2025 | 44.7 µSv | 0.0447 mSv |
| April 2025 | 44.8 µSv | 0.0448 mSv |
| July 2025 | 44.3 µSv | 0.0443 mSv |
| October 2025 | 45.5 µSv | 0.0455 mSv |
| January 2026 | 40.9 µSv | 0.0409 mSv |
| April 2026 | 46.2 µSv | 0.0462 mSv |
| July 2026 | 49.4 µSv | 0.0494 mSv |
| August 2026 | 51.6 µSv | 0.0516 mSv |
How cruise altitude changes the dose
Flown at 31,000 ft instead, the same flight would receive 0.0376 mSv, 27% less than at 35,000 ft; at 41,000 ft it would receive 0.0746 mSv, 44% more. Same route, same time in the air, same month: only the air overhead changes.
Try it: change the altitude and the month
Every combination is its own CARI-7 run for DXB → JFK, with the same 13 h 36 min in the air. It is still a standard flight, not yours: the app calculates your exact flight.
Every combination as a table (µSv)
| Altitude | Jan 2016 | Jan 2017 | Jan 2018 | Jan 2019 | Jan 2020 | Jan 2021 | Jan 2022 | Jan 2023 | Jan 2024 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2026 | Aug 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31,000 ft | 41.1 | 43.9 | 44.5 | 44.1 | 45.9 | 44.5 | 44.4 | 38.2 | 34.8 | 32.7 | 30 | 37.6 |
| 33,000 ft | 48.6 | 52 | 52.7 | 52.3 | 54.4 | 52.7 | 52.6 | 45.2 | 41 | 38.6 | 35.3 | 44.4 |
| 35,000 ft | 56.7 | 60.7 | 61.6 | 61.1 | 63.6 | 61.6 | 61.4 | 52.6 | 47.6 | 44.7 | 40.9 | 51.6 |
| 37,000 ft | 65.1 | 69.8 | 70.9 | 70.3 | 73.3 | 70.9 | 70.7 | 60.3 | 54.5 | 51.1 | 46.6 | 59.2 |
| 39,000 ft | 73.8 | 79.2 | 80.4 | 79.8 | 83.2 | 80.5 | 80.2 | 68.2 | 61.5 | 57.6 | 52.4 | 66.9 |
| 41,000 ft | 82.5 | 88.8 | 90.2 | 89.4 | 93.4 | 90.2 | 89.9 | 76.1 | 68.4 | 64 | 58 | 74.6 |
The return flight: JFK → DXB
JFK → DXB receives 0.0464 mSv at 35,000 ft, 10% less than DXB → JFK, over about 12 h 19 min in the air against 13 h 36 min. The return is 1 h 17 min shorter: its track runs with the prevailing westerly winds at cruise altitude. Cosmic radiation builds up with every minute aloft, so the longer direction collects more of it along the same path.
What 51.6 µSv compares with
| Compared with | Its dose | This flight is |
|---|---|---|
| Chest X-Ray | 0.1 mSv | about half a chest X-ray |
| Dental X-Ray | 0.005 mSv | about 10 dental X-rays |
| Background Radiation (Daily) | 0.008 mSv | about 6.5 days of natural background radiation |
| Mammogram | 0.4 mSv | about 13% of a mammogram |
| Head CT Scan | 2 mSv | about 3% of a head CT scan |
| Eating a Banana | 0.0001 mSv | about 516 bananas |
The comparison values are the ones the FlightDose app uses.
Why your flight will differ
- Altitude. Flown at 31,000 ft instead, the same flight would receive 0.0376 mSv, 27% less than at 35,000 ft; at 41,000 ft it would receive 0.0746 mSv, 44% more. Same route, same time in the air, same month: only the air overhead changes.
- Time in the air. Every extra 30 minutes on this route adds about 1.9 µSv. Headwinds, holding and routing change it by tens of minutes on a long flight.
- The month. The sun's 11-year cycle swings this route's dose by about 57% between quiet and active years.
- The track. Airlines fly tracks that bend with the jet stream, not the exact great circle; a track further from the equator collects more.
- Solar storms. A rare solar radiation storm can add to the dose for hours; CARI-7's monthly figures don't include one.
FlightDose calculates your exact flight.
Your date, your altitude, your time in the air, with live space weather, and a running total against the limits that matter to you.