The airspace is getting busier, but it isn’t just commercial planes and other aircraft cluttering the skies.
Flights are often delayed by bad weather, technical issues or industrial action and space junk might be another problem to contend with in the future too.
Experts warn that debris from satellites is increasingly becoming a risk for planes to consider.
As more satellites are launched and the number of commercial flights increase the possibility of matter causing issues is changing.
There is a 26 per cent chance a year that an uncontrolled rocket re-entry – when a malfunctioning satellite returns to land unplanned – could happen, according to research by Scientific Reports.
However, air traffic management company Eurocontrol explained to Euronews how the figure doesn’t mean planes will come in contact with debris.
Instead it refers to the chance of a falling rocket travelling through airspace used by planes.
This will mean authorities managing the area may have to close the route as a safety measure.
Experts warn that debris from satellites is increasingly becoming a risk for planes to consider (stock)
So far, there hasn’t been any reported accounts of space-related debris hitting a passenger plane.
The chances of an incident becoming reality is very low and is estimated to be around one in a million years.
But, if airspace routes had to be closed on even precautionary measures it could quickly cause chaos for travellers.
Air traffic is estimated to grow 2.4 per cent each year up to 2050, meaning more planes will be taking to the sky as well as satellites.
Earlier this year rocket Chinese Zhuque–3, that was launched in early December, crashed into the South Pacific Ocean after the UK was put on red alert for falling debris.
If fragments of the falling rocket body were to land over the UK, an emergency alert system was ready to possibly be activated to warn residents about the risk.
At the time, a UK government spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘It is extremely unlikely that any debris enters UK airspace.
‘As you’d expect, we have well rehearsed plans for a variety of different risks including those related to space, that are tested routinely with partners.’
If airspace routes had to be closed on even precautionary measures it could quickly cause chaos for travellers
Meanwhile, in 2022 airspace over parts of Spain and France were closed off after more rocket debris was predicted to fall in the area.
It led to hundreds of flights being delayed and in the end, the matter fell into the sea miles away from the estimated route.
The Mail previously reported how it is not uncommon for pieces of rocket and satellite debris to fall to Earth, with debris passing over the UK about 70 times a month.
The overwhelming majority of the material is burned up upon re–entry due to friction with the atmosphere.
