Major airlines including Emirates, Air India, ANA and Japan Airlines have announced they are canceling some of their flights to the US due to the launch of C-band 5G this week, amid concerns it could affect some media. This comes as mobile carriers, federal agencies, airlines and plane manufacturers struggle to reach an agreement on policies and how to manage the rollout of the new technology.
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Emirates' announcement is one of the clearest about what's being canceled. The airline says it is "suspending flights to the following US destinations from January 19, 2022 until further notice," citing Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco, and Seattle.
The airline will continue to fly to New York JFK, Los Angeles (LAX) and Washington, DC (IAD). Emirates says it is “working closely with aircraft manufacturers and relevant authorities to mitigate operational concerns” and hopes to resume flights to the US as soon as it can.
US carriers warned that the new technology could cause “catastrophic disruption” to their flight schedules. According to the FAA, the concern is that C-band 5G signals could interfere with the altimeter radars used on some planes, creating a safety issue.
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ANA cites specific guidance from Boeing, saying that “Boeing has announced flight restrictions to all airlines operating the Boeing 777 aircraft.” Japan Airlines also cites a notice from Boeing, saying it was informed that “5G signals for U.S. mobile phones, which will begin operating in the U.S. on January 19, 2022, may affect the radio wave altitude installed on the Boeing 777.”.
Boeing rival Airbus said it would work “as part of a broader industry coalition” to “further study the issue and work toward solutions.” For information on aircraft restrictions, it referred to the FAA’s statements on its 5G page, where a statement from Jan. 16 lists the airplane models approved for landing at certain airports in low visibility conditions.
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Earlier, both AT&T and Verizon announced they would delay 5G antenna upgrades near some airports. The Federal Communications Commission chairwoman issued a statement saying it was “essential that the FAA now complete” the process of evaluating altitude performance and the impact that C-band 5G communications may have on it with “care and speed.”
