New mobile communications standard
“The nation’s trade will come to a standstill”: US airlines warn of 5G launch on Wednesday
Delta Airlines passenger planes at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York: US airlines fear the new 5G service could ground a significant number of wide-body jets.
© Yuki Iwamura / AFP
In the USA, the network with the new 5G mobile communications standard is scheduled to go into operation on Wednesday. US airline chiefs fear it could trigger a “catastrophic” aviation crisis.
The bosses of the largest US airlines have warned against the deployment of 5G technology near airports. In a letter on Monday (local time), they called for “immediate action” from the authorities to “prevent significant operational disruption to passengers, airlines, supply chains and the delivery of essential medical supplies”. Otherwise, a “catastrophic” air traffic crisis threatens in less than 36 hours.
On Wednesday, the network with the new 5G mobile communications standard is to be put into operation nationwide in the USA. The US aviation industry has long warned of the dangers to air traffic caused by interference between aircraft technical systems and 5G transmitters. The companies are particularly concerned about devices near airports that have not yet been certified, which could interfere with the aircraft’s altimeters at critical moments.
“On a day like yesterday, more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers would be affected by cancellations, diversions or delays,” wrote the heads of American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, but also the flight divisions of logistics giants FedEx and UPS. “The nation’s trade will grind to a halt,” they said in the letter to White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Airline bosses call for 5G moratorium
“Given the short time remaining and the magnitude of this entirely avoidable economic disaster,” the aviation industry urged US authorities not to roll out 5G in the immediate vicinity of runways. The companies asked for a moratorium until the FAA could determine how deployment of 5G technology could be “rolled out safely and without catastrophic disruption.”
The FAA said on Sunday that it had cleared the operation of certain 5G transmitters near “up to 48 of the 88 airports that may be directly affected by 5G C-band interference.” Previously, the airlines had twice delayed the commissioning of the 5G network, which was originally planned for the beginning of December. The aviation industry had also threatened lawsuits against the telecommunications providers AT&T and Verizon.
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AT&T and Verizon were awarded frequencies to build the 5G network last February after winning a multi-billion dollar public tender. Due to concerns about potential interference issues with aircraft altimeters, the FAA issued new guidelines that limit the use of these onboard devices in certain situations. However, the airlines fear that this could lead to disruptions in flight operations and thus to high follow-up costs for themselves.