Cosmic radiation on flights from New York (JFK) to Dubai (DXB)
A flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Dubai International Airport at 35,000 ft, about 12 h 19 min in the air, receives about 0.0464 mSv (46.4 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
- 46.4 µSv0.0464 mSv
- Time in the air
- 12 h 19 minestimated
- Dose rate
- 3.8 µSv/haverage, 35,000 ft
- Chest X‑rays
- 0.46at 0.1 mSv each
Key facts: JFK → DXB
| Dose, standard flight | 0.0464 mSv (46.4 µSv) |
|---|---|
| Time in the air | 12 h 19 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, 12 h 19 min in the air (climb 25 min, cruise 697 min, descent 17 min), effective dose per ICRP Publication 103. How it's calculated.
How the sun changes the dose on JFK → DXB
The sun's 11-year cycle moves this number. With the same 12 h 19 min at 35,000 ft, the flight would have received 0.0577 mSv in April 2020, when the sun was quiet and more galactic cosmic rays reached the atmosphere, and 0.0368 mSv in January 2026, near solar maximum: 57% more at the quiet end. In August 2026 it is 0.0464 mSv.
The numbers behind the chart
| Month | Dose | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| January 2016 | 51 µSv | 0.051 mSv |
| April 2016 | 52.4 µSv | 0.0524 mSv |
| July 2016 | 52.2 µSv | 0.0522 mSv |
| October 2016 | 53.9 µSv | 0.0539 mSv |
| January 2017 | 54.6 µSv | 0.0546 mSv |
| April 2017 | 55.9 µSv | 0.0559 mSv |
| July 2017 | 54.9 µSv | 0.0549 mSv |
| October 2017 | 54.4 µSv | 0.0544 mSv |
| January 2018 | 55.4 µSv | 0.0554 mSv |
| April 2018 | 56.8 µSv | 0.0568 mSv |
| July 2018 | 56.5 µSv | 0.0565 mSv |
| October 2018 | 57.6 µSv | 0.0576 mSv |
| January 2019 | 54.9 µSv | 0.0549 mSv |
| April 2019 | 57.5 µSv | 0.0575 mSv |
| July 2019 | 56.7 µSv | 0.0567 mSv |
| October 2019 | 57.5 µSv | 0.0575 mSv |
| January 2020 | 57.2 µSv | 0.0572 mSv |
| April 2020 | 57.7 µSv | 0.0577 mSv |
| July 2020 | 57.3 µSv | 0.0573 mSv |
| October 2020 | 57.3 µSv | 0.0573 mSv |
| January 2021 | 55.4 µSv | 0.0554 mSv |
| April 2021 | 57.5 µSv | 0.0575 mSv |
| July 2021 | 56.2 µSv | 0.0562 mSv |
| October 2021 | 56.4 µSv | 0.0564 mSv |
| January 2022 | 55.2 µSv | 0.0552 mSv |
| April 2022 | 54.6 µSv | 0.0546 mSv |
| July 2022 | 50.2 µSv | 0.0502 mSv |
| October 2022 | 51.7 µSv | 0.0517 mSv |
| January 2023 | 47.3 µSv | 0.0473 mSv |
| April 2023 | 47.9 µSv | 0.0479 mSv |
| July 2023 | 45.1 µSv | 0.0451 mSv |
| October 2023 | 45.4 µSv | 0.0454 mSv |
| January 2024 | 42.9 µSv | 0.0428 mSv |
| April 2024 | 44 µSv | 0.044 mSv |
| July 2024 | 44.4 µSv | 0.0444 mSv |
| October 2024 | 38.9 µSv | 0.0389 mSv |
| January 2025 | 40.2 µSv | 0.0402 mSv |
| April 2025 | 40.3 µSv | 0.0403 mSv |
| July 2025 | 39.9 µSv | 0.0399 mSv |
| October 2025 | 40.9 µSv | 0.0409 mSv |
| January 2026 | 36.8 µSv | 0.0368 mSv |
| April 2026 | 41.6 µSv | 0.0416 mSv |
| July 2026 | 44.4 µSv | 0.0444 mSv |
| August 2026 | 46.4 µSv | 0.0464 mSv |
How cruise altitude changes the dose
Flown at 31,000 ft instead, the same flight would receive 0.0338 mSv, 27% less than at 35,000 ft; at 41,000 ft it would receive 0.067 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 JFK → DXB, with the same 12 h 19 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 | 36.9 | 39.4 | 40 | 39.7 | 41.2 | 40 | 39.9 | 34.4 | 31.3 | 29.4 | 27 | 33.8 |
| 33,000 ft | 43.7 | 46.7 | 47.4 | 47 | 48.9 | 47.4 | 47.3 | 40.6 | 36.9 | 34.7 | 31.7 | 39.9 |
| 35,000 ft | 51 | 54.6 | 55.4 | 54.9 | 57.2 | 55.4 | 55.2 | 47.3 | 42.9 | 40.2 | 36.8 | 46.4 |
| 37,000 ft | 58.5 | 62.8 | 63.7 | 63.2 | 65.8 | 63.7 | 63.5 | 54.2 | 49 | 46 | 41.9 | 53.2 |
| 39,000 ft | 66.3 | 71.2 | 72.3 | 71.7 | 74.8 | 72.3 | 72.1 | 61.3 | 55.3 | 51.8 | 47.1 | 60.1 |
| 41,000 ft | 74.2 | 79.8 | 81 | 80.3 | 83.9 | 81.1 | 80.8 | 68.4 | 61.5 | 57.5 | 52.2 | 67 |
The return flight: DXB → JFK
DXB → JFK receives 0.0516 mSv at 35,000 ft, 11% more than JFK → DXB, over about 13 h 36 min in the air against 12 h 19 min. The return takes 1 h 17 min longer: its track runs against 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 46.4 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 9.3 dental X-rays |
| Background Radiation (Daily) | 0.008 mSv | about 5.8 days of natural background radiation |
| Mammogram | 0.4 mSv | about 12% of a mammogram |
| Head CT Scan | 2 mSv | about 2% of a head CT scan |
| Eating a Banana | 0.0001 mSv | about 464 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 0.0338 mSv, 27% less than at 35,000 ft; at 41,000 ft it would receive 0.067 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.