U.S. FAA clears 45% of plane fleet ahead of 5G deployment

• The interference from 5G could impact low-visibility operations

• U.S. airlines have been raising the issue that flights will be severely impacted due to 5G

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said 45% of the U.S. commercial airplane fleet has been cleared to perform low-visibility landings at airports where 5G C-band will be deployed from Wednesday.

The interference from 5G could impact low-visibility operations as airplane instruments such as altimeters could be affected, said the FAA.

U.S. airlines have been raising the issue that the matter is not resolved yet and flights will be severely impacted due to 5G.

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"Even with the approvals granted by the FAA today, U.S. airlines will not be able to operate the vast majority of passenger and cargo flights due to the FAA's 5G-related flight restrictions unless action is taken prior to the planned Jan. 19 rollout," said Airlines for America, a trade group representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Fedex and other carriers.

The FAA told Boeing that specific runways and certain planes are being granted approvals "because the susceptibility to interference from 5G C-band emissions has been minimized."

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C-Band spectrum

Last year, U.S. telecom giants AT&T and Verizon won almost all the C-Band spectrum in an $80 billion auction.

AT&T and Verizon on January 3 agreed to buffer zones, which is also currently in use in France, around 50 airports to reduce interference risks. 

Picture Credits: Reuters