What is this project?
This project investigates whether commercial air travel is safe for patients with thoracic aortic disease, including aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection.
Despite being a common question in clinical practice, there is currently no clear evidence or guidance available.
This project combines patient-reported data, clinical expertise, and physiological insights to better understand potential risks and support clinical decision-making.
Why this matters
Patients with aortic disease frequently ask whether they can safely fly, yet clinicians lack consistent guidance.
As a result, advice varies between hospitals and physicians; patients may either avoid travel unnecessarily or take unassessed risks; and important aspects of quality of life are affected.
This project aims to close this gap by generating real-world data and translating it into practical recommendations.
What we do
- Collect large-scale patient-reported data on flying behaviour and concerns
- Assess how often patients travel and how this changes after diagnosis
- Evaluate what advice patients receive from healthcare providers
- Link travel patterns to clinical characteristics such as aortic size and diagnosis
- Develop a physiology-based framework for risk assessment
How the science holds up.
This project is a collaboration between cardiothoracic surgeons, aortic specialists, and aviation medicine experts.
It builds on established knowledge of aortic biomechanics and blood pressure variability, clinical experience from high-volume aortic centres, and insights from aerospace medicine on the physiological effects of flight.
By integrating these perspectives, the project aims to move beyond anecdotal evidence toward structured, clinically relevant guidance.
Impact
For patients
More clarity and confidence in decisions about travel and daily life.
For clinicians
A practical framework to guide consistent patient counselling.
For research
First large-scale dataset linking aortic disease and air travel behaviour.
For healthcare
Improved quality of life and reduction of unnecessary restrictions in chronic disease.
Other work from TARGet.
Genetic & Epigenomic Insights into Thoracic Aortopathy (GENIE-TA)
Uncovering hidden genetic mechanisms behind aortic disease.
Learn more →
TRAINletic
Optimising performance through science-driven health insights.
Learn more →
Data Donation Monitoring (DDM)
Building inclusive, real world health data to improve prevention and research
Learn more →