US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg issued a warning on Friday, stating that there may be airline delays or cancellations starting July 1st if passenger jets haven’t upgraded their altimeters to address potential 5G interference. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has expressed concerns that 5G C-band signals could disrupt the radio wave emitters used by passenger jets to measure their distance from the ground during low-visibility landings.
While airlines are not currently required to install the new equipment until February 2024, any passenger jets that haven’t been certified for operation around C-band 5G signals by July 1st will be prohibited from landing in certain low-visibility conditions. The majority of the US domestic airline fleet has already been upgraded, with over 80 percent of planes having the necessary equipment. However, around 65 percent of international jets flying to the US still need to undergo these upgrades. Air India has confirmed that all of its planes have been equipped with the required altimeters.
Despite concerns, most airlines in the US believe that there will be minimal impact. They expect to have their fleets fully upgraded by the specified deadline, except for Delta Air Lines and JetBlue. Delta Air Lines has 190 planes, while JetBlue has 17 planes that still require upgrades. The Airlines for America trade association attributed the difficulties in meeting the deadline to global supply chain issues.
The expansion of the C-band 5G spectrum, which strikes a balance between slow-yet-ubiquitous low-band 5G and ultrafast-but-easily-stifled millimeter wave 5G, faced multiple delays. Initially paused until January 2022, it was then further postponed to July 5th, 2022, and finally to July 1st of this year.
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At present, the only flights that could face setbacks are those aboard planes that have not yet installed the necessary equipment to mitigate 5G interference, and where low-visibility conditions are a factor. For example, a JetBlue spokesman stated that there could be a “limited impact” in Boston on days with poor visibility starting from July 1st.
Overall, airlines are making significant efforts to ensure their fleets are upgraded in time to avert any disruptions caused by 5G interference. The FAA’s concerns regarding the potential impact on the accuracy of altimeters during low-visibility landings highlight the importance of addressing any potential risks posed by the deployment of new technologies in the aviation industry. By upgrading their altimeters, airlines are taking proactive measures to ensure the safety and efficiency of their operations.
