WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) – Executives of major U.S. passenger and cargo carriers warned on Monday of a looming “catastrophic” air crisis as AT&T and Verizon prepare to roll out new 5G services on Wednesday. .
Airlines have warned that the new 5G C-band service could render a significant number of large aircraft inoperable, “strand tens of thousands of Americans abroad” and cause “chaos” on domestic flights.
“Unless our major hubs are cleared to fly, the vast majority of travelers and passengers will be essentially grounded,” executives from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others wrote in a letter originally reported by Reuters.
The Federal Aeronautics Administration (FAA) has warned that the potential risks of interference could affect certain sensitive instruments such as altimeters and significantly hamper low visibility operations.
“This means that on a day like yesterday, more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers could be subject to cancellations, diversions or delays,” the letter said.
Airlines were wondering at the end of the day Monday about the need to start canceling some international flights due to arrive in the United States on Wednesday.
“With the restrictions proposed at some airports, the transport industry is preparing for some degree of disruption to services. We are optimistic that we can work with industries and with government to finalize solutions that mitigate as much as possible and safely the impacts on the calendar,” aircraft manufacturer Boeing said on Monday.
Urgent action is needed, the airlines added in the letter also signed by UPS Airlines, Alaska Air, Atlas Air, JetBlue Airways and FedEx Express.
“To be frank, the nation’s trade will come to a standstill,” the signatories warned.
The letter was sent to White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel.
Airlines for America, the organization behind the letter, declined to comment. The FAA said it would “continue to ensure the traveling public is safe as wireless companies roll out 5G.”
Other government agencies did not comment.
AT&T and Verizon, which have won almost all of the C-band spectrum in the United States, agreed in early January to create buffer zones around 50 airports to reduce the risk of interference and to take other measures to reduce any interference for six months.
The two telecom operators also agreed to delay the rollout of their 5G services by two weeks, until Wednesday, after previously delaying the launch by a month.
Verizon and AT&T, which declined to comment on Monday, say C-band 5G has been successfully deployed in about 40 other countries without aviation interference issues.
(Report David Shepardson, French version Augustin Turpin, said by Blandine Hnault)
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