Photo: DANIEL SLIM / AFP / Getty Images
For: EFE Updated 17 Jan 2022, 04: 04 pm EST
The main US airlines asked the US government on Monday to block the transmission of 5G signals in a radius of 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) around airport runways, two days before that technology is activated.
Airlines for America, which represents the main passenger and cargo carriers, warned that, if that does not happen, the launch this Wednesday 19 of January of the new 5G frequency bands in the United States will have “catastrophic” consequences on the operations of the country’s commercial airlines.
“The ripple effect on both passenger and cargo operations, our staff and the economy in general is simply incalculable. ”, indicated the association in a letter sent to various representatives of the federal government.
“To be frank, the nation’s trade will stagnate”, he added.
After warning about the possible 5G network interference, the Federal Aviation Administration will allow many US commercial aircraft to make low-visibility landings at some US airportshttps://t.co/VcnprP9UBW
– CNN in Spanish (@CNNEE) January , 1231366686
The companies warned that the new frequency bands from 3.7 to 3.8 gigahertz (GHz), the so-called C-band spectrum, which will give networks greater geographical reach and faster signals, can render many aircraft security systems “unusable”.
Specifically, airlines and aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus and American Boeing are concerned that new 5G signals may interfere with aircraft radio altimeters, which measure the distance between the aircraft and the ground, as well as the data systems that help aircraft land.
To address these concerns, telecommunications companies AT&T and Verizon agreed this month to delay the launch of new 5G frequency bands for two weeks, until this Wednesday 19 from January.
The US Department of Transportation agreement with these companies contemplates the creation in up to 50 airports in areas where the interference of 5G signals will be mitigated for six months, but the airlines assured in their letter that this will not prevent “flight restrictions”.
The companies, including American Airlines, United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest, complained that in that list of airports are not those with the most traffic in the country, which can cause that “the vast majority of passengers and cargo” remain on the ground.
“On a day like yesterday (in which there was a snowstorm in the east of the country), more than 1,54 flights and 100,000 passengers would be affected by cancellations, diversions or delays”, they warned.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, for its acronym in English) announced this Sunday that it estimates that a dozen types of aircraft, which represent the 31% of the United States fleet , they will be able to land when visibility conditions are poor once 5G signals are activated.
The agency plans to approve other types of aircraft in the coming days and estimates that this will allow
to operate of the 88 airports most affected by the interference of the new 5G bands, but acknowledged that it can still there may be changes in the country’s flights.
The letter of airlines, joined by logistics companies such as FedEx and UPS, states that, despite these FAA measures, “there are huge portions of the operational fleet that could have to be grounded indefinitely”.
“In addition to the chaos that this will cause at the national level, this lack of usable wide-body aircraft has the potential of stranding tens of thousands of Americans abroad,” the letter alleges.
Read more:
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AT&T and Verizon may delay 5G launch due to aviation industry concerns
Boeing and Airbus warn the US government on the “dangers” of 5G technology for aviation