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Multiple international airlines canceled flights to the United States scheduled for on Wednesday, as the planned launch of 5G service raises security concerns.
The cancellations occurred despite decisions by AT&T and Verizon to temporarily delay their 5G rollout near airports.
Federal aviation officials and major US airlines fear that 5G signals may interfere with the instruments that measure altitude in some models of passenger aircraft, such as the widely used Boeing 777.
Emirates Dubai-based , said it was changing flight plans “due to operational concerns associated with the planned deployment of 5G mobile network services in this dos Unidos at certain airports”.
The airline said that flights to certain US destinations are suspended “until further notice”.
“We are working closely with manufacturers and relevant authorities to alleviate operational concerns, and look forward to resuming our services in the US. as soon as possible,” Emirates said in a statement.
Emirates said the decision affects flights to airports in Boston, Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco and Seattle.
Flights to New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC will continue as scheduled.
Japan-based All Nippon Airways made a similar announcement, noting that the Federal Aviation Administration “has indicated that 5G wireless service radio waves can interfere with aircraft altimeters.”
“Boeing has announced flight restrictions on all airlines that operate Boeing aircraft 747, and we have canceled or changed the aircraft for some flights to or from the US based on Boeing’s announcement,” All Nippon Airways said.
Cancellations affect 20 flights, including some to New York and Chicago.
Air India said it would cancel flights to New York, Newark, Chicago and San Francisco “due to the deployment of 5G communications in the United States”.
Japan Airlines said it would stop using the Boeing aircraft model 777 in flights to the United States until security issues are resolved.
Lufthansa, based in Germany, said it canceled a flight to to Miami and that it would change from the Boeing model 747-8 to model 747-400 on some flights.
British Airways canceled some US flights scheduled to use the Boeing 777 and switched to different aircraft models on other routes.
On Tuesday, an AT&T spokesperson said the company would continue its 5G rollout as scheduled, but would “voluntarily agreed to temporarily defer powering a limited number of towers around certain airport runways” due to safety concerns.
Verizon said it had “voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports”.
Both telecom giants expressed frustration that concerns related to the launch of 5G have not yet been resolved.
Your decision to modify The announcement of the plans came after CEOs of US airlines and shipping companies warned top officials in the Biden administration that the launch could cause “catastrophic” disruptions to air travel.
Executive directors suggested that flight cancellations could exceed 1000 per day if potential signal interference is not addressed.
Despite the decision to alter the 5G rollout, Delta Air Lines warned that some changes in flight schedules may still occur. “While this is a positive development in preventing widespread disruptions, some flight restrictions may prevail,” Delta said in a statement.
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