The bosses of ten American airlines warned the United States authorities on Monday of the potential "chaos" that the deployment Wednesday, as planned, of ultra-fast 5G mobile internet technology around airports would represent.

“Immediate response is required to prevent significant operational disruption to passengers, carriers, supply chains and the delivery of essential medical supplies,” they write two days before 5G's scheduled entry into service.

Actors in the aviation sector in the United States are concerned about the consequences of 5G on aircraft due to possible disruptions to on-board instruments.

"On a day like yesterday (Sunday), more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers would be subject to cancellations, detours, or delays", fear in particular the bosses of the companies American Airlines, Delta, or even Southwest, but also those of the airline divisions logistics giants FedEx and UPS.

"To be frank, the nation's trade will come to a standstill," they said.

“Economic calamity”

“Given the short time remaining and the significance of this completely preventable economic calamity, we respectfully request that you support and take all necessary actions to see 5G deployed except when towers are too close to airport tarmacs,” they claim to the US government, the aviation security agency, the FAA, and the telecoms policeman, the FCC.

They therefore want a pause, “until the FAA can determine how this deployment can be accomplished safely without catastrophic disruption”.

The FAA said Sunday it has approved the use of certain repeaters safely in areas where 5G will be deployed, clearing "up to 48 of the 88 airports most directly impacted by C-band interference from the 5G”.

New frequency bands

At the beginning of January, the airlines had obtained a new deadline, until Wednesday, for the deployment of the new frequency bands.

They threatened, via their federation Airlines 4 America, to sue the telecommunications giants AT & T and Verizon in order to obtain this delay and technical modifications in the deployment of the latest generation of ultra-fast mobile Internet.

3.7-3.8 GHz frequency bands were awarded to AT&T and Verizon in February 2021 following a bidding process worth tens of billions of dollars.

Amid concerns about potential interference issues with altitude-measuring devices on airplanes, the FAA had issued new guidelines limiting the use of these on-board devices in certain situations.

Airbus and Boeing worried

But American airlines have protested against the potential costs incurred, and called on the authorities to quickly find a solution.

In December, the European aircraft manufacturers Airbus and American Boeing had also expressed their “concern” about possible disturbances on the instruments on board their aircraft by 5G, in a letter to the American Department of Transport.

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