An American Airlines plane. SARAH MEYSSONNIER (REUTERS)
The CEOs of the largest passenger and cargo airlines in the US have warned of catastrophic risks for the airline industry that may arise when AT&T and Verizon roll out new 5G services in the so-called C-band starting this Wednesday. "Unless our major hubs are cleared to fly, the vast majority of travelers and shipments will remain grounded," CEOs from Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, FedEx Express and other carriers wrote in a letter sent to the White House, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), reports the Reuters agency.
"We write to urgently request that 5G (technology) be implemented as of January 19 anywhere except 2 miles (about 3.2 kilometers) from airport runways, as defined by the FAA," the letter states. , which has also been signed by the logistics and transport companies FedEx and UPS.
The airlines indicate that on a day "like yesterday", more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers could be affected by cancellations, diversions or delays.
The companies warn that urgent intervention is needed, insisting that otherwise US trade will grind to a halt.
AT&T and Verizon deferred services
The FAA said on Sunday that it had approved around 45% of commercial flights for low-visibility landing operations at many airports, where 5G services in the so-called C-band are due to start on Wednesday. The agency has warned that potential interference could affect sensitive aircraft instruments, such as altimeters, with an impact on low-visibility operations. According to the FAA, more airports could be affected.
AT&T and Verizon, which acquired the entire spectrum of the C-band in 2021, in an auction that exceeded 80,000 million dollars, agreed to clean emission zones in about 50 airports, to reduce the risk of interference, and took other steps to reduce interference for six months.
Other affected airport areas include those located in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Detroit, Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle and Miami.
In addition, the two operators agreed to delay the deployment for another two weeks, to avoid the impact on aviation.
The FAA last Thursday issued up to 1,500 notices detailing the possible impact of 5G services.
