Bikram Vohra
Boeing and Airbus are seldom on the same page but they have come together to raise a red flag over the rollout of the 5G connectivity come Jan 5, 2022.
Along with six CEOs from the top of the US aviation pantheon and supported by the FAA they have collectively expressed the fear that 5G is close to the C band used by pilots to check their radar altimeter that it could adversely affect the reading and confuse the pilot. Coming in on minimal visibility or in poor weather with fog, mist, snow or rain a flight deck might actually believe it is, where it is not. In fact, even as these agencies try to delay the rollout, top players in the wireless business like Verizon and AT and T have stated that the industry is overreacting and there is nothing to fear.
In its defence, it says over 40 countries have activated 5G and US aircraft are flying to these destinations with no problem so why should flying in mainland USA be any different. To be fair not one incident of a 5G negative impact has been recorded. Even so, the doubt has been raised and now it is necessary for both sides to sit down and address the issue. Is it a threat or not?
Even the European airlines and safety agencies have sent out an alert on this subject and there is a $2.1 billion potential loss in subsequent delays as pilots refuse to land at fog bound airports just in case.
