Emirates suspends US flights over 5G concerns
UAE carrier Emirates has announced it will suspend flights to US destinations such as Boston, Chicago and San Francisco over 5G concerns.
The airline said the decision was “due to operational concerns associated with the planned deployment of 5G mobile network services in the US,” adding that it was working to “alleviate operational concerns,” hoping to resume US services as soon as possible.
Flights to New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC will continue to operate.
Emirates’ decision comes on the same day US President Joe Biden initiated talks with aviation and industry stakeholders an US network operators Verizon and AT & T agreed to limit 5G deployment at airport, City PM reported.
In a letter sent yesterday to US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, the chief executives of several airlines – including United, Delta and American Airlines – have warned that tomorrow’s roll-out of the 5G service “could potentially strand tens of thousands of Americans overseas,” causing “chaos” for planes.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has recently cleared 45 per cent of the US entire commercial fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports where 5G will be deployed, but said it could affect instruments such as altimeters.
“We won’t compromise on safety – full stop,” added United Airlines in a statement. “We implore the Biden administration to act quickly and apply the same common sense solutions here that have clearly worked so well around the world.”