As a result of telecommunication operators delaying the roll-out of 5G networks around US airports, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing have issued formal notifications that lift the previous restriction on aircraft operations, enabling airlines to safely restore full scheduled operations.
Emirates
From January 21, Emirates will reinstate its Boeing 777 operations to Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth, Miami, Newark, Orlando and Seattle.
Emirates services to Los Angeles, New York JFK, and Washington DC remain unimpacted. Flights to Boston, Houston and San Francisco, on which the airline had temporarily deployed A380 aircraft on 20 and 21 January, will return to Boeing 777 operations on Saturday 22 January.
The airline also operates Boeing 777 freighter aircraft to Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Columbus and Aguadilla.
Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers by the temporary suspension of flights to some of our US destinations. Safety will always be our top priority, and we will never gamble on this front. We welcome the latest development which enables us to resume essential transport links to the US to serve travellers and cargo shippers. However, we are also very aware that this is a temporary reprieve, and a long-term resolution would be required. Emirates will continue to work closely with the aircraft manufacturers and relevant regulators to ensure the safety and continuity of our services.”
Lufthansa
Lufthansa yesterday used B747-400 instead of B747-8 on service from Frankfurt to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Today the B747-8 resumed service to these U.S. cities.
ANA
The below is from ANA website:
As the launch of the 5G service in the U.S. has now been partially postponed, operation of ANA flights from Jan 20 will follow the normal
schedule based on FAA notification that there is no safety issue with the operation of Boeing 777 aircraft to the U.S. airports that we serve.
Why has the 5G rollout affected flights?
The high-speed 5G cellular network uses so-called C-band frequencies similar to those used by radio altimeters on aircraft. Top U.S. airlines have warned that the rollout near airports could interfere with equipment that planes use to take off and land.
Radio altimeters give precise readings of the height above the ground on approach and help with automated landings, as well as verifying the plane has landed before allowing reverse thrust. Altimeters operate in the 4.2-4.4 GHz range and the concern is that the auctioned frequencies sit too close to this range.
In most parts of the world, the 5G usage spectrum is 3.2-3.8GHz. In the US the spectrum goes up to 4.1-4.2GHz.
Altimeters installed on the aircraft are in the 4.4GHz range.