Emirates suspends some U.S. flights due to 5G dispute
Emirates has suspended flights to nine U.S. destinations due to concerns about 5G WiFi deployment that begins on Wednesday.
The carrier suspended flights to Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco and Seattle until further notice. The carrier operates each of those routes with a Boeing 777. Emirates flights to New York JFK, Los Angeles and Washington Dulles, which are operated with Airbus A380s, will continue to fly as scheduled.
The 5G deployments by Verizon and AT& T could interfere with radio altimeters on certain aircraft, the FAA says, impacting landings during poor weather. An FAA statement on Tuesday did not list 777s or A380s among the aircraft models for which some planes have been approved for landings in the new 5G zones.
In addition, Air India suspended flights to New York, Newark, Chicago and San Francisco for Wednesday, the airline said on Twitter. The carrier uses Boeing 777s for its U.S. flights.
AT& T and Verizon said Tuesday that they will limit 5G WiFi deployment around certain airports when the new services go live Wednesday, but they did not specify which airports.
