Airlines warn of ‘catastrophic disruptions’ in US 5G rollout

Bloomberg

A trade association representing major US airlines asked Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the nation’s top communications and aviation regulators to prevent wireless carriers from implementing 5G services close to airports.
Airlines for America warned in a letter that the traveling and shipping public could see “catastrophic disruptions” if the new C-band frequencies were put into service within two miles of where aircraft fly. The association said it was willing to work with the government and carriers to find a mutually agreeable solution.
Wireless carriers including AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc reached an agreement with federal regulators earlier this month to launch the new service on January 19. Airlines are worried the signals could interfere with instruments that measure an aircraft’s altitude, after the Federal Aviation Administration limited certain flights landing near 5G towers.
In a memo to staff seen by Bloomberg News, JetBlue Airways Corp. Chief Executive Officer Robin Hayes said the airline faces “the potential for significant disruptions to flights beginning Wednesday that will further stress our already fragile air system and disrupt the traveling public.”
Hayes said there’d been very little transparency until recently in data behind the decision to roll out 5G near airports and that concerns have mounted about potential interference with aircraft equipment. The move could set back the aviation industry’s recovery from the pandemic, he said. The FAA granted approvals Sunday that will allow some jetliners to operate within zones where new 5G wireless services are being used, significantly reducing the potential impact on flight schedules. The decision permits landings during low visibility at as many as 48 of the 88 US airports with equipment for such arrivals, the FAA said.
However, analysis is continuing and a majority of airliners, including Boeing Co.’s 777 and 787 are still subject to limitations, meaning some level of disruptions are likely.
Phone companies have rolled out 5G systems in Europe and Asia without flight disruptions. After the FAA raised concerns in December, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it hadn’t noticed any unsafe interference within the region, but would monitor the situation. It asked operators to be on alert, and suggested higher power levels may be a factor in the US.
“I am very shocked to see the reaction of US airlines at the last moment,” said Rohan Dhamija, a managing partner with Analysys Mason who works from Dubai and New Delhi. The 3.5 GHz “C-band” “was allocated after a lot of testing, and after adequately ensuring there’s no interference with anything else.”