The Airlines' Concerns Over 5G May Finally Be Resolved

The Airlines’ Concerns Over 5G May Finally Be Resolved After Altitude Equipment Upgrades

Concerns about 5G signals potentially causing widespread flight delays seem to have finally come to an end as Delta Air Lines has completed upgrades to its aircraft to mitigate interference.

According to Reuters, Delta Air Lines has finished the radio altimeter updates on its current fleet of in-service aircraft. Other scheduled maintenance aircraft will also receive the new altimeters. Delta Air Lines told The Associated Press that this update “means Delta’s aircraft will not be subject to additional restrictions due to weather factors.”

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had previously expressed concerns that certain 5G signals might affect altimeters used by pilots to measure distance from the ground in low visibility conditions.

While altimeters and 5G base stations don’t share the same frequency spectrum, the FAA believed that some aircraft altimeters could have issues distinguishing radio signals. Consequently, telecommunications companies and the FAA engaged in debates over the deployment locations and signal power of 5G signals.

Telecom operators eventually managed to roll out 5G signals in most areas, but they continued to block areas around airports while airlines installed the updated altimeters.

Starting from July, airlines faced potential flight delays and cancellations if their altimeters were not upgraded, leading to a warning from the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, regarding potential disruptions.

Nearly all domestic aircraft updated their altimeters, with Delta Air Lines being a notable exception, as they had 190 aircraft yet to upgrade their altimeters.

With these updates to onboard equipment, the 5G airplane crisis may finally be resolved.