Ahead of 5G becoming mainstream, there have been some concerns regarding the technology, namely from certain groups of people who have shared conspiracy theories about it like how 5G can cause illnesses. Many experts have since decried these claims to be untrue, but it turns out that 5G could actually have a negative impact on certain things, like airplanes.
According to a report from Reuters, it appears that the CEOs of major US airlines have published a letter warning that the new C-Band 5G services that are being planned for rollout by AT&T and Verizon could actually ground a lot of widebody aircrafts and cause “chaos” for US flights that could lead thousands of Americans overseas stranded.
This is because of potential interference from these 5G bands that could have an impact on sensitive airplane instruments such as altimeters that could hamper low-visibility operations. This doesn’t mean that airlines don’t believe in 5G, but rather they are asking that 5G towers be placed further away from airports to prevent disruptions.
According to the letter, “Multiple modern safety systems on aircraft will be deemed unusable causing a much larger problem than what we knew… Airplane manufacturers have informed us that there are huge swaths of the operating fleet that may need to be indefinitely grounded.” So far, neither AT&T nor Verizon have commented on this.