Air India curtails US operations over 5G roll-out; US airlines warn of 'massive flight disruptions'

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National carrier Air India will not be able to operate a number of US-bound flights on Wednesday, the airline said. Accordingly, the airline informed passengers via its official Twitter handle that it will not be able to operate the Delhi-JFK-Delhi and Mumbai-EWR-Mumbai flights amongst other on Wednesday.

However, in another tweet, the airline said that it will operate the flight to Washington DC from Delhi by AI103 on Wednesday.

"#FlyAI: Due to deployment of 5G communications in USA, our operations to USA from India stand curtailed/revised with change in aircraft type from 19th January 2022," the airline tweeted.

Why airlines fear 5G will upend travel this week

The airline industry in the United States has raised the stakes in a showdown with AT&T and Verizon over plans to launch 5G wireless service this week, warning that thousands of flights could be grounded or delayed and massive flight disruptions can be caused if the rollout takes place near major airports. Further, AT&T and Verizon will now postpone new wireless services near some airports planned for this week. 

AT&T said Tuesday it would delay turning on new cell towers around runways at some airports — it did not say how many — and work with federal regulators to settle the dispute.

Verizon said it will launch its new 5G network but added, “we have voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports.”

The Federal Communications Commission, which runs the auctions of the radio spectrum, determined that C-Band could be used safely in the vicinity of air traffic. The FCC in 2020 set a buffer between the 5G band and the spectrum that planes use to resolve any safety concerns.

But Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson, whose agency is responsible for aviation safety, saw a potential problem. On Friday, they asked AT&T and Verizon to hold off activating C-Band 5G near an undetermined number of “priority airports” while the FAA conducted the further study.

Meanwhile, the wireless industry trade group CTIA notes that about 40 countries have deployed the C-Band strand of 5G without reports of harmful interference with aviation equipment.

What will happen in the next two weeks?

The two-week postponement will give the FAA and the companies time to implement the agreement.

AT&T and Verizon will be allowed to launch C-Band service this month under already-granted FCC licenses. The airlines have until Friday to give the companies a list of up to 50 airports where they believe the power of C-Band service should be reduced through July 5.

Until July, the telecoms will talk to the FAA and airlines about potential long-term measures regarding 5G service near airports. However, under terms of the agreement with the FAA, AT&T and Verizon will have the sole power to decide if any changes in service will be made.

The FAA has issued a brief statement about the two-week delay, saying it looks forward “to using the additional time and space to reduce flight disruptions associated with this 5G deployment.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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