Transportation Head Warns Of 5G Interference On Planes

Topline

Summer airline operations will face their “biggest foreseeable problem” starting next week as a deadline to retrofit equipment to avoid potential interference from 5G wireless signals approaches, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sounding alarm bells about possible delays.

The first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba since 1961 lands in Santa Clara, Cuba … [+] on August 31, 2016. YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

Planes that fail to meet the deadline for upgrading won’t be able to land in certain weather conditions when visibility is low starting July 1, as 5G wireless service could interfere with the devices that use radio waves to measure an aircraft’s distance from the ground, Buttigieg told the Wall Street Journal.

Buttigieg didn’t know exactly how widespread the impact could be, but said it could rise to a “noticeable level.”

Some airlines said they don’t expect problems—like United and Southwest, according to the Wall Street Journal—but others say it could be months before their fleets are fully updated.

Key Background

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile started to roll out 5G wireless service in early 2022, prompting a quick response from aviation officials, who say 5G’s “combination of power levels, frequencies, proximity to flight operations, and other factors” make landing dangerous in certain conditions. AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay the launch of some 5G service near large airports while carriers worked to retrofit the sensitive radar altimeters that could be impacted. In the time since, some airlines and industry groups have said supply-chain problems and certification road bumps have made the July 1 deadline impossible to meet, per WSJ, with Delta and JetBlue warning of delays. The International Air Transport Association says upgrading the fleets could cost airlines as much as $638 million.

Crucial Quote

“There’s a real risk of delays or cancellations,” Buttigieg told the Wall Street Journal. “This represents one of the biggest—probably the biggest—foreseeable problem affecting performance this summer.”

Big Number

20%. That’s the percentage of domestic airplanes that could be susceptible to interference from 5G signals, Buttigieg said. About 35% of the international fleet could be impacted.

What To Watch For

Delays, delays, delays.