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Emirates President Slams US 5G Rollout Plan Over Safety Concerns

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Emirates President Tim Clark called the US 5G rollout plan "one of the most delinquent, utterly irresponsible issues" he'd seen in his career, leading to the cancellation of flights by airlines such as Emirates and British Airways over safety concerns. The Federal Aviation Administration had advised airlines to suspend flights due to potential disruptions caused by the 5G rollout near airports. Despite a last-minute delay of the rollout by Verizon and AT&T, some airlines continued to suspend flights, with Emirates citing "operational concerns associated with the planned deployment of 5G mobile network services."

Key Takeaways:

  • Emirates President Tim Clark criticized the US 5G rollout plan as "one of the most delinquent, utterly irresponsible issues" he'd seen in his career.
  • The Federal Aviation Administration advised airlines to suspend flights due to potential disruptions caused by the 5G rollout near airports.
  • Airlines including Emirates, British Airways, Air India, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, and others suspended flights over safety concerns linked to the 5G rollout.
  • The 5G rollout near airports was delayed by Verizon and AT&T after airlines warned of massive flight disruptions and potential stranding of tens of thousands of Americans overseas.
  • The Federal Aviation Administration had published a list of Boeing and Airbus aircraft approved for performing low-visibility landings at US airports, but the Boeing 777, used on the affected routes, was not included.
  • Emirates switched some routes from Boeing 777 planes to Airbus A380s due to operational concerns associated with the 5G rollout.
  • The FAA and Boeing changed their guidance, and Emirates resumed the canceled routes and switched the A380s back to 777s.

Statistics:

  • Ten major US air carriers had warned federal officials in a letter that the scheduled 5G deployment could "potentially strand tens of thousands of Americans overseas."
  • The warning was issued in response to concerns that the 5G rollout near airports could affect the aircraft's radio altimeter, which is used to determine a plane's altitude above ground level when landing or flying above mountainous terrain.
  • Verizon and AT&T agreed to delay the deployment of 5G near airports after the airlines warned of massive flight disruptions.

Sources:

  • (https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/19/business/emirates-5g-quest/index.html)
  • (https://www.businessinsider.com/5g-airlines-flights-emirates-air-india-verizon-japan-airlines-nippon-2022-1?r=US&IR=T)
  • (https://www.businessinsider.com/us-airlines-warn-massive-flight-disruptions-chaos-5g-rollout-2022-1)
  • (https://www.businessinsider.com/verizon-att-delay-5g-near-airports-airlines-warn-flight-disruptions-2022-1)
  • (https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-statements-5g)

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