Airlines around the world have canceled or rescheduled dozens of flights after the “undecided” launch of 5G cellular in the United States sparked what one pilot called a “nightmare” of bookings for companies, which face rapidly changing restrictions.
The decision by two US cellphone companies to delay activation of powerful new telecommunications towers near airports, after protests from companies over possible interference, came too late to avoid a wave of cancellations on Wednesday.
Airlines across Asia and several in the Middle East and Europe said they would cancel some flights or switch planes, with most of the initial disruption hitting the Boeing 777, for decades a long-haul champion.
Dubai-based Emirates, the main user of Boeing’s minijumbo, began a series of industry cancellations or aircraft changes late on Tuesday, saying it would suspend nine US routes.
Veteran company president Tim Clark told CNN the company was not aware of the extent of the problem until Tuesday and called the episode “one of the most delinquent, utterly irresponsible” episodes he has seen, a CNN reporter tweeted.
The disruption is the culmination of weeks of disputes between airlines and telecoms over the speed of deployment of 5G cellular services in the US, reflected by tensions between regulators in these economically sensitive industries.
US airlines and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) have warned that the frequencies and transmission strength used in the US could interfere with the accurate altitude reading needed for landing in adverse weather on some jets.
European regulators say they have not found risks elsewhere.
AT&T and Verizon agreed on Tuesday to delay rolling out 5G near key airports, but are pushing ahead with Wednesday’s broader mobilization of services aimed at tens of millions of people in the US.
Late Tuesday, the FAA began updating guidance on which airports and aircraft models will be affected, in a move that is expected to dramatically reduce the impact of nearly 1,500 warnings of 5G restrictions already issued by the regulator.
Even so, dozens of flights had to be canceled or changed, sending shares in European long-haul airlines down about 2%.
“The last-minute delay happened too late to prevent crews from being sent on today’s (return) flight. It just created a nightmare,” said a pilot for a major European airline.
Low season
Analysts said, however, that a drop in long-haul flights caused by border restrictions due to the pandemic would limit the immediate impact.
“It’s low season, so in January and February airlines are going to lose money, not to mention the impact of the pandemic. Right now they’re fighting for survival,” said James Halstead, managing partner at UK-based Aviation Strategy. .
“What could hurt is that some companies are using the same long-range aircraft to transport cargo,” he added.
Korean Air Lines said it switched planes on six passenger and cargo flights to the US; Taiwan’s China Airlines has rescheduled some flights and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific said it will change aircraft types if necessary.
Japan’s All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines said they would reduce Boeing 777 flights after a Boeing warning that 5G signals could interfere with the radio altimeter.
After the cancellations were announced, however, the companies backtracked and said they would resume service to the United States on Thursday. Both companies said they were told by the FAA that there are no security issues after the roll-out is scaled back.
Radio altimeters give accurate readings of altitude above the ground on approach and help with automatic landings, as well as checking if a jet has landed before allowing reverse thrust.
Boeing said it is working with all parties on a “long-term, data-driven solution that ensures all commercial aircraft models can safely operate while 5G is deployed.”
Last year, the 777 was the second-most-used wide-body aircraft flying to and from US airports, with about 210,000 flights, behind the older 767, according to data from FlightRadar24.
In another disruption, Germany’s Lufthansa said it had canceled a flight and was switching aircraft on others.
Air India said its four US flights would be reduced in light of aircraft type changes starting Wednesday.
Singapore Airlines said it has changed the plane used on certain US routes.
British Airways changed its daily flight to Los Angeles from a Boeing 777 to an Airbus A380 and canceled or modified other flights to the US.
Cargo companies AeroLogic and Polar have diverted from Cincinnati to Atlanta, according to flight website FlightRadar24, which said Atlanta is not subject to 5G-related restrictions.
Not all 777 flights were affected. Emirates said it would continue to fly the 777 to Washington, which so far has not been a problem.
Qatar Airways and Air France said US routes are operating normally, and Israel’s El Al and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said their services were not affected. Kenya Airways said it was taking precautions recommended by Boeing and the FAA.
Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves
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