Major US airlines on Monday asked the government to block the transmission of signs 5G in a radius of 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) around airport runways, two days before that technology is activated.
Airlines for America, which represents the main passenger and cargo carriers, warned that, if that does not happen, the launch this Wednesday, January 19, of the new 5G frequency bands in the United States will have “catastrophic” consequences in the operations of commercial airlines in the country.
“The ripple effect on both passenger and cargo operations, our staff and the economy in general it’s just incalculable”said the association. Their statements were made in a letter sent to various representatives of the federal government.
“To be frank, the nation’s trade will come to a standstill,” he added.
5G technology seeks to give networks greater geographical reach and faster signals on airlines. However, the companies warned that the new frequency bands of 3,7 a 3,8 gigahercios (GHz), so-called C-band spectrum can render many aircraft security systems “unusable”.
launch delay
Airlines and aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus y American Boeing are some of the concerned. Specifically, they are concerned that the new 5G signals might interfere with radio altimeters of the planes. These measure the distance between the aircraft and the ground, as well as data systems that help planes land.
To address those concerns, telecommunications companies AT&T and Verizon agreed this month to delay two weeks the launch until this Wednesday, January 19.
The agreement of the Department of Transportation of the United States with these companies contemplates the creation in up to 50 airports of zones where will mitigate interference from 5G signals for six months. However, the airlines assured in their letter that this will not prevent “flight restrictions”.
The companies, including American Airlines, United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest, complained that the list of airports does not include the ones with the most traffic in the country. That can cause “the vast majority of passengers and cargo” to stay on the ground.
weather delays
“On a day like yesterday (in which there was a snowstorm in the east of the country), more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers they would be affected by cancellations, diversions or delays, “they warned.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, for its acronym in English) announced this Sunday that it estimates that a dozen types of aircraft, representing 45% of the US fleet, they will be able to land when visibility conditions are poor once 5G signals are activated.
The agency plans to approve other types of aircraft in the coming days and estimates that this will allow 48 of the 88 airports most affected by the interference of the new 5G bands. however, he acknowledged that there may still be changes in the country’s flights.
The airlines’ letter, joined by logistics companies such as FedEx and UPS, states that despite these FAA measures, “there are huge portions of the operating fleet that may have to be grounded indefinitely.”
“In addition to the chaos that will cause domestically, this lack of usable wide-body aircraft has the potential to strand tens of thousands of Americans abroad,” the letter alleges.