What Is 5G and Does It Affect Airplanes? Flights Cancelled Over AT&T, Verizon Rollout

What Is 5G and Does It Affect Airplanes? Flights Cancelled Over AT&T, Verizon Rollout

Several international airlines cancelled some flights to the United States this week ahead of AT&T and Verizon's 5G wireless rollout over safety concerns associated with the planned deployment of new network services.

Among the airlines affected was Dubai's Emirates, which said it would suspend flights to nine U.S. destinations from January 19 until further notice, while other operators changed the aircraft being used on certain routes into the country.

Cancellations occurred despite the fact that AT&T and Verizon both announced that they will delay turning on some 5G towers near airports.

While a handful of airlines have announced they are resuming some of the flights that were initially affected following the announcements from the two telecoms companies, further cancellations could still occur unless the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues new formal guidance, Reuters reported.

Earlier this week, the CEOs of the largest U.S. airlines and shipping carriers warned of "catastrophic disruption" to services in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other government officials, urging the telecoms companies to halt the deployment of 5G services within two miles of airports.

The cause of concern from the airline industry was the launch of AT&T and Verizon's "C-band" 5G services, which were scheduled to be switched