FAA approves 45% of us commercial planes to perform low-visibility landing

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration FAA said on Sunday it cleared an estimated 45% of the U.S. commercial aircraft fleet to perform low-visibility landings at many airports where 5 G C-band will be deployed starting Wednesday.

The FAA has warned that potential interference could affect sensitive airplane instruments such as altimeters and have an impact on low-visibility operations.

The FAA approved two radio altimeter models used in many Boeing and Airbus planes, including some Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, MD 10-11 and Airbus A 310, A 319, A 320, A 330 and A 350 models. The announcement came just days before AT&T T.N and Verizon VZ.N launched new 5 G service on Wednesday. The FAA expects to issue more approvals in the coming days.

The FAA said the aircraft and altimeter approvals open runways at as many as 48 of the 88 airports most directly affected by 5 G C-band interference. But the agency warned that flights at some airports may still be affected even with these new approvals. AT&T and Verizon, which won nearly all of the C-Band spectrum in an auction last year, agreed on Jan. 3 to buffer zones around 50 airports in order to reduce interference risks and take other steps to reduce potential interference for six months. They agreed to delay deployment for two weeks, averting an aviation safety standoff.

Nearly 1,500 notices were issued by the FAA on Thursday, detailing the impact of 5 G services.

The FAA continues to work with manufacturers to understand how radar altimeter data is used in other flight control systems. Passengers should check with their airlines if weather is forecast at a destination where 5 G interference is possible, the FAA said Sunday.

The FAA announced on January 7 that there are 50 U.S. airports that have 5 G buffer zones, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Detroit, Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle and Miami.

On Thursday, Airports Council International North America urged a delay to 5 G implementation in order to avoid widespread disruption across the U.S air transportation system.

The FAA said on Friday that Boeing 787 operators would be required to take additional precautions when landing on some wet or snowy runways. The FAA said 5 G interference could prevent engine and brake systems from transitioning to landing mode, which could prevent aircraft from stopping on the runway.