FAA bars three Boeing models from landing at airports with 5G interference

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday barred several Boeing aircraft from landing at airports where 5G wireless signals could cause interference.

The agency issued an Airworthiness Directive prohibiting Boeing 747-8, 747-8F and 777 planes from landing at airports where interference could occur, affecting approximately 336 planes in the United States and 1,714 worldwide.

"The FAA issued the AD because many systems on Boeing 747-8, 747-8F and 777 aircraft rely on the altimeter, including auto throttle, ground proximity warning, thrust reversers and Traffic Collision Avoidance System," the agency said.

Overall, the FAA said it has approved 90% of the United States' commercial plane fleet to land in poor visibility at airports where a risk of interference from 5G wireless signals is present.

On its website Tuesday, the FAA said it has found that while "some altimeters are reliable and accurate in certain 5G areas; others must be retrofitted or replaced.

"The agency continues to make progress to safely reduce the risk of delays and cancellations as altimeter manufacturers evaluate data from wireless companies to determine how robust each model is," the FAA said.

Aircraft models approved for low visibility approaches in areas with 5G deployment include all Boeing 717, 737, 757, and 767 aircraft, all CL-600/CRJ regional jets, MD-10/11, Airbus A300, A310, A319, A220, A320, A321, A330, A340, A350 and A389, Embraer 120, 170 and 190 regional jets, DHC-8 turboprops and ATR turboprops.

The complications have led to flight delays, with The Seattle Times reporting that Alaska Air regional carrier Horizon Air was forced to cancel all commercial flights in and out of Paine Field on Tuesday due to the restrictions on low visibility flying and 5G interference.

Last week, airlines called on the Biden administration to not implement 5G technology near airports, stating that doing so would cause "significant operation disruption" to air passengers, shippers and supply chains.