Latam Airlines changes Brazil-USA flights due to 5G uncertainty

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Airlines worldwide rushed on Wednesday, January 19, to cancel or alter flights to the United States due to an ongoing dispute over the rollout of 5G near US-American airports.

Companies have been warned that the problem mainly affects the Boeing 777, a long-range, wide-body aircraft used by carriers.

In Brazil, Latam Airlines said it had to withdraw its 410-passenger Boeing 777 from some scheduled flights between Brazil and the United States.

Instead, the company will use the Boeing 787, which holds 300 passengers, on the Guarulhos (São Paulo)-Miami route, and the Boeing 767, seating 221 people, on the Guarulhos-New York route.

“Latam regrets this situation, which is totally beyond its control, and is sparing no effort to communicate daily to everyone as soon as possible,” the company said in a statement.

According to the company, four flights should be affected by the change. They are the flights LA8190 (Guarulhos-Miami) and LA8180 (Guarulhos-New York) this Tuesday, January 18, and LA8191 (Miami-Guarulhos) and LA8181 (New York-Guarulhos), scheduled for this Wednesday. As a result, some passengers had to be accommodated on flights scheduled for other dates.

Embraer stated that the problem “applies only to operations in US-American territory.” “Embraer has been following the discussions on the possible impacts of 5G technology on aviation, has continuously collaborated with the competent aeronautical authorities, and has guided its operators to ensure the highest degree of safety of the operation of Embraer aircraft in this scenario.”

The Brazilian manufacturer added that it is in “continuous cooperation with Anatel,” the regulatory agency for the telecommunications sector in Brazil.

According to airline monitoring company FlightAware, as of 2 PM ET on Wednesday, at least 219 flights to or from the US (including domestic flights) had been canceled. The number of delayed flights was 539.

The cancellations come even after mobile phone carriers AT&T and Verizon agreed to postpone new mobile phone service near some US airports, planned for this week.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, the US ANAC) has cleared several aircraft to fly at airports with the 5G signal, but the Boeing 777 is not on the list.

The FAA fears that 5G’s C-band band could interfere with radio altimeters, which are devices that measure the height of planes above the ground and help pilots land in low visibility. The administration will allow planes with accurate altimeters to continue operating, but those with older equipment are prohibited from making landings in low visibility conditions.

Similar mobile networks have been deployed in dozens of other countries – sometimes with concessions such as reducing the power of the networks near airports, as France has done. But in the US, the issue has pitted the FAA and the airlines against the Federal Communications Commission and telecommunications companies.

AT&T and Verizon have said their equipment will not interfere with electronics on planes. Still, FAA officials have seen a possible problem, and the telecom companies have agreed to postpone installation while the issue is resolved.

WHAT THE AIRLINES SAY

Sought, Gol said it is keeping a close eye on the deployment of 5G technology in the US. “We will continue to monitor the evolution of this technology in the markets in which we operate, promptly incorporating all recommendations from manufacturers and regulatory agencies.” The company will resume flights to the United States in May, after suspension due to the pandemic.

One of the leading East-West carriers, Emirates Airlines, was one of the first affected. The Dubai-based company announced it would halt flights to Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Newark, New Jersey, Orlando, Florida, San Francisco, and Seattle. It maintained flights to Los Angeles, New York, and Washington.

In its announcement, Emirates cited the cancellation as necessary due to “operational concerns associated with the planned deployment of 5G mobile network services in the US at certain airports.” Emirates has successfully started 5G coverage at all of its airports without incident, as have dozens of other countries.

Air India also announced on Twitter that it would cancel flights to Chicago, Newark, New York, and San Francisco “due to 5G communications equipment deployment.” Two Japanese airlines, Japan Airlines and Nippon Airways, also said that the Boeing 777 is affected by the 5G signals, as they announced cancellations and changes to their schedules.

Korean Air switched four passenger planes from Boeing 777 to 787 and two cargo planes from 747-8 to 747-400 overnight and will continue to avoid operating 777 and 747-8 at affected US airports, said company spokeswoman Jill Chung.

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific said it is adopting different aircraft types, where needed for the affected airports and that its flights to the United States have not been affected so far. Taiwan’s EVA Air also said it has taken “contingency measures to ensure flight safety.”

Air France, however, announced that it intends to continue flights with its Boeing 777 to US-American airports but did not explain the reason for not changing aircraft.

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