Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned the nation’s airlines on Friday that flights could be disrupted starting next week because some planes do not have modern equipment to prevent interference from wireless carrier transmissions. .
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Buttigieg said that only properly retrofitted aircraft will be allowed to land when visibility is low, such as during bad weather.
Buttigieg’s warning, in a letter to the industry group Airlines for America, comes after AT&T, Verizon and other wireless carriers will be free to ramp up their C-band, 5G signal output on July 1. It was issued just before the
Airlines have reported to the government that they are having difficulty obtaining equipment to refurbish their aircraft due to supply chain issues. Still, industry groups said airlines were confident of avoiding disruption.
Some aviation experts believe that C-band signals are too close on the radio spectrum to frequencies used by radio altimeters, which measure a plane’s height above the ground. Although the new altimeter is protected from interference, some airlines have complained that they are unable to upgrade all their aircraft due to a lack of this equipment.
It’s unclear whether clashing frequency bands could cause major travel disruptions. When the problem arose early last year, a small number of flights were canceled or diverted, but predictions that the problem would be widespread proved wrong.
Delta Air Lines said about 190 of its more than 900 planes will not be equipped with the latest radio altimeters by the deadline and could face operational restrictions during inclement weather. The airline said it would operate aircraft carefully to minimize disruption while working with suppliers to refurbish more aircraft over the summer.
American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines said they have refurbished all of their planes and do not expect any problems. United Airlines said it expects all of its “flagship” jets to meet the deadline, although it will defer questions about its United Express planes to the smaller airlines that operate them.
The Federal Communications Commission, which granted 5G licenses to wireless companies, insists there is no risk of interference, while the Federal Aviation Administration stands by the airlines. Under pressure from the Biden administration, wireless companies have agreed to delay the rollout of new networks around major airports until July 1.
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The Department of Transportation says more than 80% of U.S. aircraft have been retrofitted based on information from airlines, but Buttigieg said Friday that “some operators still have work to do.” said.
Mr. Buttigieg has threatened to sanction airlines that fly more flights than they can with modified planes for deceptive trade practices.
Airlines for America, which represents the nation’s largest airlines, said its members are working hard to equip their aircraft with the latest radio altimeters, but they are in short supply due to global supply chain issues. .
“Airlines have repeatedly communicated this reality to the government,” said Marli Collier, a spokeswoman for the group. “Nonetheless, A4A member airlines are confident that, thanks to careful planning, they will be able to maintain schedule integrity despite looming deadlines.”
