Air India scales back US operations in view of 5G communications rollout

Air India has scaled back its operations to the US from India in view of the US rollout of 5G communications.

“#FlyAI: Due to the deployment of 5G communications in the US, our operations to the US from India are reduced/revised with change in aircraft type as of January 19, 2022. Update in this regard will be communicated soon”, said a tweet from Air India.

United Airlines said the US government’s current 5G rollout plan will have a devastating impact on aviation, adversely affecting some 1.25 million United passengers, at least 15,000 flights and much-needed freight and tons of cargo traveling across more than 40 of the largest airports in the country. the country annually.

When deployed close to runways, 5G signals can interfere with key safety equipment pilots rely on to take off and land in adverse weather conditions, the airlines said in a statement.

“Let’s not compromise on security – period. But governments in other countries have successfully designed policies to ensure the safe deployment of 5G technology and we are simply asking the US government to do the same. Otherwise, radio altimeters on certain aircraft, which provide information to other safety systems such as autopilot, alert displays, terrain warning and pitch control, will be compromised and will result in significant restrictions for 787s, 777s, 737s and regional aircraft in major cities such as Houston, Newark, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.”

“Unfortunately, this will not only result in hundreds of thousands of flight cancellations and disruptions for customers across the industry in 2022, but also the suspension of cargo flights to these locations, causing a negative ripple effect on an already fragile supply chain. . I implore the Biden administration to act quickly and apply the same common-sense solutions here that have clearly worked so well around the world,” he said.