iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
After halting flight services, Air India has resumed the Boeing 777 flight operations, on Wednesday, January 19, bound for the United States of America after the US Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] rolled out new approvals.
FAA now allows an estimated 62% of the United States commercial fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports where wireless companies have deployed 5G C-band.
In an official statement issued on January 19, Air India said, ‘Boeing has cleared Air India to operate in USA on B777. Accordingly, the first flight has left this morning to JFK. Other flights leaving in the day are to Chicago & SFO Arrangements to carry stranded passengers are being worked out. Matter regarding B777 flying into USA has been sorted.’
A new safety buffer had caused a ruckus at the airports due to the 5G deployment in the US. The aviation industry had warned that the high-speed 5G technology being expanded to the United States airports will hamper safety by disrupting the navigation systems. FAA, however, cleared some of the Boeing Co. and Airbus SE models including Boeing’s 777 for flying at the 5G deployed airports as of Wednesday.
Air India and many other American air carriers, including United Airlines and American Airlines, had grounded their planes over the looming safety issues. At least 14 flights on India-US routes were cancelled by the Indian airlines citing threats and interruption to the flight navigation systems from 5G.
“FAA continues to work with manufacturers to understand how radar altimeter data is used in other flight control systems. Passengers should check with their airlines for the latest flight schedules,” the agency stated.
“We recognize the economic importance of expanding 5G, and we appreciate the wireless companies working with us to protect the flying public and the country’s supply chain. The complex US airspace leads the world in safety because of our high standards for aviation, and we will maintain this commitment as wireless companies deploy 5G.” — US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Wednesday.
As the US President Joe Biden told a presser that his administration was actively engaged to halt the wireless technology’s rollout scheduled for Wednesday, some of the major telecommunication firms such as AT&T (T) and Verizon voluntarily agreed to “temporarily defer turning on” a limited number of 5G-enabled towers around “certain airport runways.”
“We’re working with the Department of Transportation on safe 5G deployment at this limited set of locations,” Biden said in a White House speech.
“This agreement will avoid potentially devastating disruptions to passenger travel, cargo operations, and our economic recovery, while allowing more than 90 percent of wireless tower deployment to occur as scheduled.”
Biden stated that while expanding 5G and promoting competition in internet service are critical priorities for his administration, protecting flight safety and allowing aviation operations to continue without significant disruption was more significant.
“We are writing with urgency to request that 5G be implemented everywhere in the country except within the approximate two miles of airport runways as defined by the FAA on January 19, 2022,” the Chief Executives of several airlines said in the letter obtained by American news agencies.
They warned of “economic calamity” as the 5G would interfere with aviation equipment and operations. “To be blunt, the nation’s commerce will grind to a halt,” the CEOs blatantly stressed.
