FAA clears 45% of commercial plane fleet after 5G deployed.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Sunday it had cleared an estimated 45% of the U.S. commercial airplane fleet to perform low-visibility landings at many airports where 5G C-band will be deployed starting Wednesday.
The FAA has warned that potential interference could affect sensitive airplane instruments such as altimeters and make an impact on low-visibility operations.
→ American Airlines and Aer Lingus launch new codeshare agreement.
U.S. passenger and cargo airlines have been sounding the alarm to senior government officials that the issue is far from resolved and could severely impact flights and the supply chain.
“Even with the approvals granted by the FAA today, U.S. airlines will not be able to operate the vast majority of passenger and cargo flights due to the FAA’s 5G-related flight restrictions unless action is taken prior to the planned Jan. 19 rollout,” said Airlines for America, a trade group representing American Airlines (AAL.O), Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), Fedex (FDX.N) and other carriers.
→ U.S. approves Norse Atlantic Airways’ application to operate flights from Europe.
The FAA approved two radio altimeter models used in many Boeing and Airbus planes, including some Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, MD-10/-11 and Airbus A310, A319, A320, A321, A330 and A350 models. The FAA said it expects to issue more approvals in the coming days.
The FAA said the aircraft and altimeter approvals open “runways at as many as 48 of the 88 airports most directly affected by 5G C-band interference.” But the agency warned that “even with these new approvals, flights at some airports may still be affected.”
Reuters reviewed the 36-page list of the runways covered by the approvals that has not yet been made public – and it does not include many larger U.S. airports.
Related Topics
Air France-KLM Reaffirms Confidence in Boeing 787 After Air India Crash
Royal Air Maroc Set to Place Major Aircraft Order with Boeing and Airbus
Boeing’s Outstanding May: Records 303 New Orders and Hits 737 MAX Production Target
Boeing to Focus on Customers, Innovation, and Partnership at Paris Air Show 2025
Plataforma Informativa de Aviación Comercial con 13 años de trayectoria.