Posted on 01/17/22
| News Source: FOX News
Chief executives from multiple airlines are warning that implementing 5g could cause serious disruptions to their service and potentially result in thousands of travelers becoming stranded, Fox News reports. This is due to a recent finding by the FAA that 5g could cause interference with certain airplane instruments.
In a letter obtained and viewed by Fox Business, CEOs from Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, FedEx, Jetblue, Southwest, United Airlines and others wrote that “immediate action to address 5G interference with (the) National Aviation System” was needed.
“We are writing with urgency to request that 5G be implemented everywhere in the country except within the approximate 2 miles of airport runways at affected airports as defined by the FAA on January 19, 2022,” the letter says. “This will allow 5G to be deployed while avoiding harmful impacts on the aviation industry, traveling public, supply chain, vaccine distribution, our workforce and broader economy.”
It continues, “We further ask that the FAA immediately identify those base stations closest to key airport runways that need to be addressed to ensure safety and avoid disruption in a manner that is narrowly focused and consistent with the agreement established on January 3, 2022.”
The letter is addressed to the National Economic Council Director, the Secretary of Transportation, the Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The letter also says that if immediate action isn’t taken, there could be significant disruption to both commercial air travelers and the shipping industry.
According to the letter, 5G can interfere with radio altimeters, which provide “critical safety information” to safety and navigation systems on planes. Due to this problem, “huge swaths” of airplane fleets may need to be “indefinitely grounded.”