Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

U.S. airlines urge FAA to extend 5G upgrade deadline

Published 02/10/2023, 12:38 PM
Updated 02/10/2023, 06:50 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Planes sit on the tarmac at Columbia Metro airport in West Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., January 8, 2022. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe/File Photo

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Planes sit on the tarmac at Columbia Metro airport in West Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., January 8, 2022. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe/File Photo

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group representing major U.S. airlines "strongly urged" the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to extend a proposed deadline to June 2024 to retrofit airplane altimeters to ensure they are not susceptible to 5G wireless interference.

Airlines for America (A4A), which represents American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL), Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), United Airlines and others also asked the FAA to revise a proposed 5G safety directive "to reflect technical realities and the continued safe operation of many aircraft." The group warned a "material number of aircraft" in U.S. fleets will not be modified by July and without changes it could "severely limit operations" and lead to flight delays and cancellations.

Wireless carriers opposed the request.

In January, the FAA proposed requiring passenger and cargo aircraft in the United States to have 5G C-Band-tolerant radio altimeters or approved filters by February 2024. The agency reiterated on Friday it will evaluate all comments.

Concerns that 5G service could interfere with airplane

altimeters, which give data on a plane's altitude and are crucial for bad-weather landing, led to disruptions at

some U.S. airports last year involving international carriers.

Also Friday, a coalition including Boeing (NYSE:BA), Airbus Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), Raytheon (NYSE:RTN), pilots unions, and airlines said the directive "does not provide sufficiently robust controls to ensure safety as both aviation operations and wireless services co-evolve" and does not include a realistic cost estimate.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T (NYSE:T) in June voluntarily agreed to delay some C-Band 5G use until July as air carriers work to retrofit airplanes to ensure they will not face interference.

Wireless carries spent more than $80 billion on the C-Band 5G spectrum, including $52.9 billion by Verizon in auction and clearing costs. The FCC did not comment.

Wireless trade group CTIA, which represents Verizon and AT&T, said the FAA provided ample time for airlines and should not extend the deadlines.

"By requiring accountability, the FAA is taking

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Planes sit on the tarmac at Columbia Metro airport in West Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., January 8, 2022. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe/File Photo

important steps to ensure radio altimeter performance is more resilient while enabling timely C-Band 5G deployment," CTIA said.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents more than 100 carriers flying to the United States, warned costs would be far higher than the $26 million estimated by FAA. IATA said costs could be at least $637 million and said many airlines risk missing deadlines.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.