US airlines urge FAA to extend 5G upgrade deadline

A group representing major US airlines "strongly urged" the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to extend a proposed deadline to June 2024 to retrofit airplane altimeters to ensure they are not susceptible to 5G wireless interference. Airlines for America (A4A), which represents American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines and others also asked the FAA to revise a proposed 5G safety directive "to reflect technical realities and the continued safe operation of many aircraft." The group warned a "material number of aircraft" in U.S. fleets will not be modified by July and without changes it could "severely limit operations" and lead to flight delays and cancellations. In January, the FAA proposed requiring passenger and cargo aircraft in the United States to have 5G C-Band-tolerant radio altimeters or approved filters by February 2024. The agency reiterated on Friday it will evaluate all comments. Concerns that 5G service could interfere with airplane altimeters, which give data on a plane's altitude and are crucial for bad-weather landing, led to disruptions at some US airports last year involving international carriers. <br/>