Air India set to curtail US flights from Wednesday on 5G concerns

Concerns have been raised about possible interference of 5G signals with radio altimeter in aircraft

Air India is revising and curtailing its US operations from Wednesday in the backdrop of commercial 5G rollout in the country. “Due to the deployment of 5G communications in USA, our operations from India stand curtailed/revised with change in aircraft type from 19th January,” Air India said in a tweet. It said that additional updates will be shared later. Concerns have been raised about possible interference of 5G signals with radio altimeters in aircraft. Altimeters measure altitude above terrain, provide pilots situational awareness during low visibility, and inputs for onboard systems such as the traffic collision avoidance system.

US govt

Meanwhile, the US government is said to be “actively engaged” with wireless carriers, airlines, airplane manufacturers and key federal agencies to address a looming aviation crisis, a senior administration official told Reuters.

Airlines are preparing to cancel a significant number of passenger and cargo flights in the coming hours to prepare for AT&T and Verizon’s new 5G C-Band service that starts on Wednesday, after warning on Monday of “catastrophic” impacts.

Airlines want wireless carriers to not turn on some wireless towers near airport runways in a bid to avoid most of the flight disruptions.