Emirates airline was among several big international airlines that said it will suspend flights to several destinations in the US as of 19 January until further notice because of concerns over 5G mobile deployment.
Air India, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines were some of the other airlines that announced service cuts.
In a statement on its website, Emirates said: “Due to operational concerns associated with the planned deployment of 5G mobile network services in the US at certain airports, Emirates will be suspending flights to the following US destinations from 19 January 2022 until further notice:
Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Houston (IAH), Miami (MIA), Newark (EWR), Orlando (MCO), San Francisco (SFO) and Seattle (SEA).
Customers holding tickets with the final destination to any of the above will not be accepted at the point of origin.”
Emirates said flights to New York JFK, Los Angeles (LAX) and Washington DC (IAD) continue to operate as scheduled.
Deepening crisis
In a letter, CEOs from 10 airlines told the Biden administration to push back the already-delayed rollout. Airlines estimate 1,000 flight disruptions per day because of possible interference with radar altimeters that pilots use to land in low-visibility conditions.
The airline industry has warned that the new network, which would allow consumers much faster internet access, could interfere with sensitive airplane instruments such as altimeters and significantly hamper low-visibility operations. Airlines had asked “that 5G be implemented everywhere in the country except within the approximate 2 miles (3.2km) of airport runways” at some key airports.
On Tuesday, AT&T and Verizon said they would temporarily delay turning on some wireless towers near key US airport runways to avert a looming aviation crisis after discussions with President Joe Biden’s administration.
“We are frustrated by the Federal Aviation Administration’s inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services, and we urge it do so in a timely manner,” AT&T said in a statement.
“We are launching our advanced 5G services everywhere else as planned with the temporary exception of this limited number of towers.”
Verizon also said it had “voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports”.
The Biden administration welcomed the delay, saying in a statement that the “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.”
Air India said it would suspend service between Delhi and San Francisco, Chicago and JFK. It will also suspend a Mumbai to Newark flight. Both ANA and Japan Airlines said they canceled some flights to the US scheduled to use Boeing 777s, but will operate some flights using Boeing 787s.
For the affected customers, Emirates added: “Customers do not need to call us immediately for rebooking. Customers can simply hold on to their Emirates ticket and when flights resume, get in touch with their travel agent or booking office to make new travel plans.
“Emirates regrets any inconvenience caused. We are working closely with aircraft manufacturers and the relevant authorities to alleviate operational concerns, and we hope to resume our US services as soon as possible.”
Also read:
Concerned over aviation safety, US government asks AT&T and Verizon to delay 5G rollout
AT&T and Verizon reject US government request; will go ahead with scheduled 5G rollout
