Nearly half of all commercial aircraft based in the United States have received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) clearance to conduct low-visibility landings at US airports ahead of the controversial C-band 5G rollout this week.

As first reported by Reuters, the FAA has okayed two radio altimeter models used in many Boeing and Airbus passenger aircraft. The aircraft include Airbus A310, A319, A320, A321, A330 and A350 aircraft and Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, MD-10/-11 jets. This covers approximately 45% of commercial passenger jets flying in the United States.

On Wednesday, Telcos Verizon and AT&T will begin rolling out their new 5G networks. However, the C-band frequencies used can be close to those used by aircraft radar altimeters, raising potential safety concerns.

Consequently, the FAA had said it would need to impose restrictions on flight operations using certain types of radar altimeter equipment close to 5G network antennas. Last week, the safety agency issued approximately 1,500 NOTAMs, many of which dealt with the issue and threatened to cause havoc across the US airline industry.

Reuters cites the FAA saying the new approvals “open runways at as many as 48 of the 88 airports most directly affected by 5G C-band interference.” However, the FAA warns flights at some airports may still be affected.

No green light yet for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner

Not on the list of cleared planes is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In a statement issued on Friday, the FAA said operators of Boeing 787s would need to take additional precautions when landing on wet or snowy runways at airports where 5G C-band service is deployed. This impacts approximately 137 aircraft in the United States and 1,010 worldwide.

“During the two-week delay in deploying new 5G service, safety experts determined that 5G interference with the aircraft’s radio altimeter could prevent engine and braking systems from transitioning to landing mode, which could prevent an aircraft from stopping on the runway,” the FAA said about the Dreamliner.

The FAA is in talks with the telcos about buffer zones around airports. Existing buffer zone agreements have a six-month lifespan. Further, the planned buffer zones for US airports only protect the last 20 seconds of flight. Ideally, the FAA wants to see that buffer zone extended in line with international norms.

“We know aviation safety and 5G can co-exist,” says AT&T. The FAA has submitted a list of 50 airports to the telcos where they say antenna operations close to those airports could lead to the most problematic disruptions.

Airlines warned of significant operational consequences as the countdown to the 5G rollout shortened and the FAA made its moves restricting low-visibility flight operations at nominated airports.

Airlines For America raises 5G concerns

The airline industry group, Airlines For America, warned if the 5G rollout had occurred in 2019, when passenger and aircraft traffic was at its peak, the FAA-imposed restrictions would have caused massive disruptions.

Airlines for America says those FAA restrictions potentially impact 345,000 passenger flights, 32 million passengers, and 5,400 cargo flights in the form of delayed flights, diversions, or cancellations.

Airlines for America estimated that US passenger airlines would have incurred an incremental US $1.7 billion in operating costs annually. Separately, Airlines for America cargo members estimate that the directive would have cost them $400 million annually.

Both the airline industry and the FAA are keen to avoid any disruptions. The FAA has to walk a line between ensuring safe flying and minimizing impacts on airlines. It’s early days, but the FAA seems keen to see a smooth transition to flying around antennas broadcasting on 5G frequencies.

“As tests prove that some altimeters are safe, the FAA will be able to remove some restrictions on operations of aircraft with those altimeters,” the safety agency notes. “Disruption risk will gradually decrease as more altimeters are tested and either deemed safe, retrofitted or replaced.”

Source: https://simpleflying.com/faa-clears-planes-5g-rollout/