Telecom companies delay 5G rollout near airports, international carriers to resume flights

Many international carriers suspended flights to the U.S. earlier this week due to the anticipated Jan. 19 rollout of 5G at airports, however, telecommunication companies AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. on Tuesday agreed to delay yet again the deployment of 5G near certain U.S. airports to avoid significant disruptions to flight operations. Most carriers began to resume operations today. Both passenger and cargo airlines have expressed concern regarding 5G rollout in the U.S., stating that disruptions will have negative impacts on the supply chain and the broader economy. In turn, industry trade organization Airlines for America, which represents several U.S. carriers, on Jan. 17 submitted a letter of concern to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other government bodies. Atlas Air Worldwide, FedEx Express, UPS Airlines and United Airlines are among the 11 carriers that signed the letter. [caption id="attachment_85882" align="alignright" width="476"] Emirates' 777F. Photo courtesy of Emirates SkyCargo.[/caption] The rollout of 5G will not only impact the aviation industry and passenger travel, but the supply chain, vaccine distribution and more, according to the letter. Airlines for America requested that 5G be implemented “everywhere in the country except within the approximate two miles of airport runways at affected airports as defined by the FAA.” “The ripple effects across both passenger and cargo operations, our workforce and the broader economy are simply incalculable,” the letter said. “Every one of the passenger and cargo carriers will be struggling to get people, shipments, planes and crews where they need to be. To be blunt, the nation’s commerce will grind to a halt.” Boeing and the FAA had announced that 5G signals may interfere with the radio altimeters on aircraft, including the 777, which led to a flurry of cancellations from carriers like All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Airlines (JAL), British Airways, Korean Airlines and Emirates. Since then, most operating schedules have resumed. JAL received confirmation on Wednesday from the FAA that the signals will not interfere with the carrier’s 777 aircraft, and it will begin resuming service to the U.S. starting today, according to Wednesday’s statement. ANA will also be resuming flights to the U.S. as the 5G service rollout has been temporarily delayed and 777 aircraft have been cleared of any safety issues. “As the 5G rollout in the U.S. has now been partially postponed, operation of ANA flights from Jan. 20 will follow the normal scheduled based on FAA notification that there is no safety issue with the operation of 777 aircraft to the U.S. airports that we serve,” an ANA spokesperson told Air Cargo World . ANA currently operates 777 aircraft to San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK) and Houston (IAH), the spokesperson said. IAH will not be affected as it is currently served by 787 aircraft and Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu will also not be impacted by the 5G service. While Seattle (SEA) will be affected, the service is currently using a 787 aircraft. Emirates will also be reinstating all its 777 operations to airports starting Jan. 21, including Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA) and SEA, among others, according to today’s statement. Earlier this month the FAA released the list of 50 U.S. airports that would have buffer zones as the new 5G C-band service was set to begin Jan. 19. Airports with buffer zones include DFW, JFK, ORD and LAX, among others. Wireless companies agreed to turn off transmitters near these airports as well as other adjustments for six months to avoid any safety issues associated with the potential 5G interference. As of now, 78% of the U.S. commercial fleet is cleared for low-visibility approaches at airports where 5G is deployed, according to today’s FAA statement. Aircraft with one of the 13 approved radio altimeters include: all 717, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787 aircraft; MD-10, MD-11; all A300, A310, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340, A350, A350, A380 aircraft; and some Embraer 170 and 190 regional jets.

Telecom companies delay 5G rollout near airports, international carriers to resume flights

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