Major airlines Emirates, JAL, and ANA, Have all announced they would be canceling some flights to the US as a result of potential 5G interference with radio altimeters onboard aircraft. The cancellations impact flights operated by Boeing 777 aircraft. As the US aviation industry and regulators still wrestle over 5G with telecom providers AT&T and Verizon over how to roll out the technology safely without impacting flights, foreign airlines have decided to play it cautiously and cancel flights as they wait and see what the 5G rollout on January 19th brings.
Emirates cuts nine US destinations temporarily
Emirates announced that it would cut flights to the following US destinations from January 19th until further notice:
- Boston (BOS)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
- Houston (IAH)
- Miami (MIA)
- Newark (EWR)
- Orlando (MCO)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Seattle (SEA)
Emirates will continue to fly to New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), and Washington D.C. (IAD). Emirates has not outlined a resumption date for these flights, but the destinations cut are traditionally operated with Boeing 777s. In announcing the suspension of flights, Emirates squarely placed the blame on the deployment of 5G mobile network services that could impact operations at certain airports.
Japanese carriers cancel flights
Separately, both ANA and JAL have announced cuts to the US network, blaming concerns over the interference of 5G with the radio altimeter on Boeing 777s. Where possible, both airlines have kept Boeing 787 operations to the US, though the airlines were unable to cover all US routes using Boeing 787s.
JAL, for example, has canceled its flight between Tokyo Haneda (HND) and JFK on Wednesday. ANA has canceled flights to SEA, LAX, JFK, ORD, and IAH. Other flights may also be affected, so travelers should check with each airline to figure out their flight status.
The growing mess of 5G and aviation in the US
AT&T and Verizon have been looking to roll out their 5G technology. T-Mobile’s 5G operations are not impacted. However, US airlines, pilots, and regulators have concerns over how the technology could affect aviation. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been working with the providers to determine the best way to roll out the technology safely, though that has not stopped it from putting up additional requirements or barriers to operations in certain conditions at airports where 5G poses a risk to operations. Verizon and AT&T agreed to a delay of the 5G rollout earlier in January.
To that extent, the FAA has released a list of 50 airports with 5G buffers where wireless transmitters are in close proximity to the runways. US airline industry CEOs and pilots have raised concerns over 5G and the potential disruption to operations. Essentially, without the FAA clearing major hubs and major airports for operations with the rollout of 5G, it could essentially bar airlines from operating flights under certain conditions.
For foreign airlines, this poses a different headache. After a 10+ hour journey to the US, the airlines need to ensure that their aircraft will be able to land safely and return to their home country. Without that guarantee, operating those flights puts a risk on airlines to send aircraft out, which could lead to disrupted operations and, in a worst-case scenario, leave an aircraft with crew and passengers stuck somewhere until conditions improve for operations to continue.
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