Hyderabad: As the US faces an unprecedented crisis with over 1,000 flights grounded after a 'technical glitch', exactly a year, several Airline CEOs had warned of an impending “catastrophic” aviation crisis 'that could ground almost all traffic because of the 5G deployment'. The warning, given in January 2022, had come against the backdrop of concerns that 5G services may interfere with the airplane altimeters, as it had led to disruptions at some US airports in the past.
The airplane altimeters play a crucial role in giving data about a plane’s height above the ground -- a pivotal piece of knowledge in cases of bad-weather landing. Pertinently, just a day ago on Tuesday, the country's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notified about a requirement for 5G C-Band-tolerant radio altimeters or installation of approved filters by early 2024 for the passenger and cargo aircraft in the United States.
The directive by the FAA on Tuesday prohibits passenger and cargo flight operations in the vicinity of 5G C-Band wireless transmitters unless the FAA specifically approves them. It would take effect in February 2024, and is quite similar to one that took effect in December 2021.
The FAA is additionally proposing a requirement for the airlines to revise airplane flight manuals so that low-visibility landings can be prohibited. This proposal shall take effect after June 30 unless retrofits have been completed on that airplane.
In June, the US telecommunication companies Verizon and AT&T had voluntarily agreed to delay some C-Band 5G usage until July 2023 as air carriers work to retrofit airplanes to ensure that they will not face interference. The December 2021 FAA directive relied on this voluntary agreement.
However, some international airlines have privately expressed reluctance to install filters without a legal requirement from the FAA, officials told the news agency Reuters. Airlines for America, a trade group representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and others, said “carriers are working diligently to ensure fleets are equipped with compliant radio altimeters, but global supply chains continue to lag behind current demand. Any government deadline must consider this reality.”
Wireless group CTIA meanwhile said that “the FAA's schedule for altimeter updates is reasonable and practical. 5G in the C-band coexists safely with air traffic.”
FAA acting Administrator Billy Nolen in October sought a delay in some 5G C-Band transmissions from smaller operators over aviation safety concerns. In a letter dated October 21, Nolen said the agency wanted the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to mandate the voluntary mitigations AT&T and Verizon had agreed to earlier this year to 19 smaller telecoms and other spectrum holders.
