Airlines rush to suspend flights over 5 G wireless rollout

Despite two wireless carriers saying they will delay parts of the deployment, major international airlines rushed to rejig or cancel flights to the United States on Tuesday because of a 5 G wireless rollout that caused safety concerns.

The Federal Aviation Administration FAA has warned that potential 5 G interference could affect height readings that play a major role in bad weather landings on some jets and airlines, and the Boeing 777 is the most directly in the spotlight.

Despite an announcement by AT&T and Verizon that they would delay turning on some 5 G towers near airports, several airlines still canceled flights. Others said that more cancellations were likely unless the FAA issued new formal guidance in the wake of the wireless announcements.

The world's largest operator of the Boeing 777, Dubai's Emirates, said it will suspend flights to nine U.S. destinations from Jan. 19, the planned date for the deployment of 5 G wireless services.

Japan's two major airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, said they would curtail Boeing 777 flights.

ANA said it was changing or cancelling the aircraft used on some U.S. flights. JAL said it would not use the 777 on U.S. mainland routes until safety is confirmed, according to a notice to passengers reported by airline publication Skift.

The airlines said they were acting in response to a notice from Boeing that 5 G signals could interfere with the radio altimeter on the 777, leading to restrictions.

A spokesman for Boeing didn't immediately make a statement.

Industry sources said Boeing had issued technical advisories noting potential interference, but that flight restrictions were in the hands of the FAA, which has limited operations at key airports unless airlines qualify for special approvals.

Radio altimeters give precise readings of the height above the ground on approach and help with automated landings, as well as verifying the jet has landed before allowing reverse thrust.

Air India, which serves four U.S. destinations with Boeing 777 s, said that those flights would be curtailed or face changes in aircraft type starting from Wednesday.

The wireless carriers were unable to turn on 5 G towers near key airports, despite the announcement of cancellations.

Airline industry sources said the decision had arrived too late to affect crewing decisions for some Wednesday flights.

British Airways switched its aircraft on some flights to Los Angeles to an Airbus A380 from the usual Boeing 777 service, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The A 350 may be used, according to the web tracker Flightradar 24. The planemaker is still assessing its other models, and the radio altimeters on the two Airbus jets have been cleared.

A spokesman for Flightradar 24 said the 777 mini-jumbo is a workhorse of the long-haul travel market that remains depressed after COVID 19 and its freighter equivalent has reshaped the aviation route map during the Pandemic.

Not all 777 s are affected. Emirates, which is a major user of the larger A 380, will switch to larger aircraft for Los Angeles and New York, but will continue to fly the 777 to Washington, which is not affected.

Qatar Airways, which operates both Boeing 777 s and A 350 s in the United States, said it was evaluating the situation.

President Joe Biden praised the agreement with the wireless carriers, saying it would allow more than 90% of wireless tower deployment to occur as scheduled. He said they would work to reach a permanent solution for these key airports.