China News Service, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- As U.S. telecommunications giants AT&T and Verizon are about to launch 5G network services, major U.S. passenger and cargo airlines warned that in less than 36 hours, the United States will Facing a "catastrophic" aviation crisis.
Data map: American Airlines passenger plane crowded on a runway.
According to Reuters, the CEOs of several airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, etc., issued a joint letter on the 17th, pointing out that AT&T and Verizon are scheduled to open the C C-Band 5G service, which could render a large number of wide-body planes inoperable, "force tens of thousands of Americans to stay overseas" and cause "chaos" in U.S. flights.
"Unless our main hubs can operate safely, the vast majority of air and air passenger journeys will be disrupted," they said.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has previously warned that 5G services could interfere with sensitive aircraft instruments, including altimeters, severely impacting low-visibility flight safety.
On the evening of the 17th, some American airlines began to consider whether to cancel some international flights scheduled to arrive in the United States on the 19th.
According to the report, the recipients of the letter included White House National Economic Council Director Diess, U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg, FAA Administrator Dixon and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Rosen Worcel.
However, Airlines for America, the industry group that organized the joint letter, declined to comment.
Relevant government agencies also had no immediate comment.
U.S. telecom giants AT&T and Verizon won contracts worth tens of billions of dollars in February 2021 and were supposed to launch related 5G wireless network services on December 5, according to previous reports.
However, the launch of the service has been delayed several times due to concerns raised by multiple parties that aviation safety equipment may be disrupted.