ATLANTA- Delta Air Lines (DL) announced on Thursday (August 31, 2023) that it has successfully completed the update of radio altimeters in its in-service aircraft fleet to mitigate potential interference from the 5G C-Band.
In June, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg cautioned that airlines might encounter operational challenges during adverse weather conditions if they did not upgrade their airplanes before the July 1 deadline.
Delta Planes are Now 5G Compliance
Before this deadline, Delta had around 190 aircraft yet to undergo the necessary updates, including its entire Airbus A220 fleet.
Delta has now confirmed that all of its in-service aircraft have been retrofitted with 5G-compliant radio altimeters. A few planes are currently out of service for scheduled maintenance and will be equipped with the updated altimeters as they return to active duty.
Delta reported that there were no significant operational disruptions between July 1 and the completion of this work.
Concerns had arisen that 5G service might interfere with airplane altimeters, which provide vital data on an aircraft’s height above the ground and play a critical role in ensuring safe landings during inclement weather.
These concerns had caused brief disruptions at some U.S. airports last year, leading to carriers’ cancellation of certain international flights.
Deadline Extension
Last year, Verizon and AT&T voluntarily agreed to postpone some of their C-Band 5G deployment until July, allowing airlines more time to retrofit airplane altimeters.
As reported by Reuters in March, major U.S. wireless carriers had voluntarily taken certain actions to address aviation safety concerns while also allowing them to gradually increase power levels, aiming to achieve full C-Band use by July 1.
In an interview with Reuters on July 20, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that the transition to make airlines 5G-compliant went smoother than expected and had minimal disruptions.
Buttigieg acknowledged that the airlines were largely prepared, but the effort was challenging, saying, “It took a lot of pressure.”
He further explained, “It took multiple moments where we had to really just make sure they could read our body language that we really were serious… I don’t think the airlines believed us early on.”
By late June, more than 80% of the domestic fleet serving U.S. airports had undergone the necessary updates, as communicated by Buttigieg to major airlines.
However, he noted that “a significant number of aircraft are still awaiting retrofit, including many operated by foreign air carriers.” This situation implies that there could be increased delays and flight cancellations, especially on days with bad weather and low visibility.
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