US FAA wants some airplane altimeters retrofitted by end of 2022

The FAA wants airlines to complete retrofits of some airplane radio altimeters that could face interference from C-Band 5G wireless service by the end of 2022, according to a memo. The FAA memo said following a May 19 meeting of airlines, manufacturers and wireless carriers that “a collective goal was set to complete” retrofits on some Embraer and Airbus planes by the end of the year. Another meeting is set for June 3. The memo sets out a series of dates for actions by the aviation industry, including by June 1 asking airlines to “commit to purchase filters and installation kits.” The FAA plans to develop a “tool to track and report progress in real time” by May 31, the memo says. Radio altimeters give data on a plane’s height above the ground and are crucial for bad-weather landings. AT&T and Verizon voluntarily agreed in January to delay through July 5 switching on some wireless towers and depowering others near airports just hours before the planned Jan. 19 deployment, averting what airlines had warned would cause a potentially “catastrophic” aviation safety crisis. An airline trade group declined comment. The FAA and altimeter manufacturers divided the U.S. commercial passenger airline fleet into four groups based on their tolerance to interference. Group 1 has the poorest performing altimeters and primarily consists of Embraer regional jets, while Group 2 is largely Airbus A320s, officials said. The FAA wants 1,760 planes in Groups “1 and 2” to be retrofitted this year. None have been completed yet. The memo also says retrofits should be completed for 4,800 Group 3 planes in 2023.<br/>