emirates, Air IndiaANA and Japan Airlines have all announced they are canceling some flights to the US over the C-band 5G rollout this week over concerns it may interfere with some instruments. This is because mobile carriers, federal agencies, airlines and aircraft manufacturers struggle to agree on policies regarding how the rollout should be handled.
Emirates’ announcement is one of the clearest about what is being cancelled. The airline says it is “suspending flights to the following U.S. destinations from January 19, 2022 until further notice,” citing Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco and Seattle.
The airline continues to fly to New York JFK, Los Angeles (LAX) and Washington, DC (IAD). The airline says it is “working closely with aircraft manufacturers and the relevant authorities to address operational concerns” and hopes to return to the US as soon as possible.
US airlines also warned that the rollout could cause “catastrophic disruption” to their flight schedules. According to the FAA, the concern is that the C-band 5G signals will interfere with the radar altimeters used in some aircraft, creating a safety issue. You can read our full explanation of the whole situation here.
Citing specific guidelines from Boeing, ANA says that “Boeing has announced flight restrictions for all airlines using the Boeing 777 aircraft.” Japan Airlines also cites a report from Boeing, stating that it was told that “5G signals for US cell phones, which will go into service in the US on January 19, 2022, are interfering with the radio wave altimeter installed on the Boeing 777 .”
Boeing did not immediately respond to The edge‘s request to confirm that she has sent an opinion. Its competitor, Airbus, said it will work “as part of a wider industry coalition” to “further study the issue and work towards solutions”. For information on aircraft restrictions, refer to: the FAA’s statements on the 5G page, where a statement dated Jan. 16 lists the aircraft models approved to land at some airports under low-visibility conditions.
Earlier today, both AT&T and Verizon announced that they would voluntarily delay 5G antenna upgrades near certain airports. The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission issued a statement saying that it is “essential that the FAA now” completes the process of assessing altimeter performance and the effect that C-band 5G communications may have on it “both carefully and promptly.” “.