- Major U.S. airline CEOs warned of an impending “catastrophic” aviation crisis on Wednesday when AT&T and Verizon are set to deploy new 5G service.
- The airlines said the new service could potentially make a significant number of widebody aircraft unusable and “could potentially strand tens of thousands of Americans overseas.”
- The FAA has warned that potential interference could affect sensitive airplane instruments such as altimeters and impact on low-visibility operations.
The chief executives of major U.S. passenger and cargo carriers warned of an impending “catastrophic” aviation crisis when AT&T and Verizon are set to deploy new 5G service, reports CNBC.
About the warning
The airlines warned the new C-Band 5G service could potentially make a significant number of widebody aircraft unusable and “could potentially strand tens of thousands of Americans overseas.”
“Unless our major hubs are cleared to fly, the vast majority of the traveling and shipping public will essentially be grounded,” wrote the chief executives of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others.
The FAA has warned that potential interference could affect sensitive airplane instruments such as altimeters and impact on low-visibility operations.
The C-Band spectrum
AT&T and Verizon, which won nearly all of the C-Band spectrum in an $80 billion auction last year, on Jan. 3 agreed to buffer zones around 50 airports to reduce interference risks and take other steps to cut potential interference for six months.
They also agreed to delay deployment for two weeks until Wednesday, temporarily averting an aviation safety standoff.
Letter to White House National Economic Council
Action is urgent, they added in the letter also signed by UPS Airlines, Atlas Air, JetBlue Airways and FedEx Express. “To be blunt, the nation’s commerce will grind to a halt.”
The letter, which was seen by Reuters, went to White House National Economic Council director Brian Deese, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Steve Dickson and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
Airlines for America, the group that organized the letter, declined to comment. The government agencies did not immediately comment.
What is the solution for this looming crisis?
The airlines ask “that 5G be implemented everywhere in the country except within the approximate 2 miles (3.2 km) of airport runways” at some key airports.
The airlines added that flight restrictions will not be limited to poor weather operations. “Multiple modern safety systems on aircraft will be deemed unusable causing a much larger problem than what we knew… Airplane manufacturers have informed us that there are huge swaths of the operating fleet that may need to be indefinitely grounded.”
The carriers added they urge action to ensure “5G is deployed except when towers are too close to airport runways until the FAA can determine how that can be safely accomplished without catastrophic disruption.”
The FAA said on Sunday it had cleared an estimated 45% of the U.S. commercial airplane fleet to perform low-visibility landings at many airports where 5G C-band will be deployed starting on Wednesday. The airlines noted on Monday that the list did not include many large airports.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe
Source: CNBC
