Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has warned US airlines that flights could be disrupted from next week as some planes lack updated equipment to prevent interference from transmissions by wireless companies. The warning comes just before AT&T, Verizon, and other wireless carriers are due to be free to boost the power of their C-Band, 5G signals on July 1. Some aviation experts believe that C-Band signals are too close on the radio spectrum to the frequencies used by radio altimeters, which measure the height of a plane above the ground.
Airlines’ response
Airlines have told the government they are having trouble getting equipment to retrofit planes because of supply-chain problems. However, the industry trade group said airlines are confident they will avoid disruptions. Delta Air Lines said about 190 of its more than 900 planes won’t be equipped with updated radio altimeters by the deadline and could face restrictions operating in bad weather. The airline said it will route them carefully to limit disruptions while it works with a supplier to retrofit more planes through the summer. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Frontier Airlines said they have retrofitted all their planes and do not expect problems. United Airlines said it expects to meet the deadline for all its “mainline” jets, although it referred questions about United Express planes to the smaller carriers that operate them.
Government intervention
The Federal Communications Commission, which granted the 5G licenses to the wireless companies, contends that there is no risk of interference, while the Federal Aviation Administration has taken the airlines’ side. Under pressure from the Biden administration, the wireless companies agreed to delay the full rollout of their new networks around major airports until July 1. The Transportation Department, relying on information from airlines, says more than 80% of the U.S. fleet has been retrofitted, but Buttigieg said Friday that “some operators still have work to do.” Buttigieg threatened to sanction airlines for deceptive trade practices if they schedule more flights than they can operate with retrofitted planes.
US airlines have been warned that flights may be disrupted from next week due to the possible lack of updated equipment to prevent interference from transmissions by wireless companies. The warning comes just before AT&T, Verizon, and other wireless carriers are due to boost the power of their C-Band, 5G signals on July 1. Some aviation experts believe that C-Band signals are too close on the radio spectrum to the frequencies used by radio altimeters, which measure the height of a plane above the ground. Airlines have told the government they are having trouble getting equipment to retrofit planes because of supply-chain problems; however, the industry trade group said airlines are confident they will avoid disruptions.
Delta Air Lines said that about 190 of its more than 900 planes will not be equipped with updated radio altimeters by the deadline and could face restrictions operating in bad weather. The airline said it would route them carefully to limit disruptions while it works with a supplier to retrofit more planes through the summer. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Frontier Airlines said they have retrofitted all their planes and do not expect problems. United Airlines said it expects to meet the deadline for all its “mainline” jets, although it referred questions about United Express planes to the smaller carriers that operate them.
The Federal Communications Commission granted the 5G licenses to the wireless companies and contends there is no risk of interference, while the Federal Aviation Administration has taken the airlines’ side. Under pressure from the Biden administration, the wireless companies agreed to delay the full rollout of their new networks around major airports until July 1. The Transportation Department says more than 80% of the U.S. fleet has been retrofitted, but Buttigieg said Friday that “some operators still have work to do.” Buttigieg threatened to sanction airlines for deceptive trade practices if they schedule more flights than they can operate with retrofitted planes.
Leave a Reply