The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday that the costs to retrofit airplane altimeters to prevent 5G interference could cost the airline industry at least $637 million.
The organization, which represents more than 100 carriers that fly to the United States, said in comments filed with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the costs would be far higher than the $26 million estimated by the agency last month.
The FAA proposed in January requiring all passenger and cargo aircraft in the United States to have 5G C-band-tolerant radio altimeters or approved filters by Feb. 24, 2024, citing concern about a potential “catastrophic incident” caused by interference from new 5G networks.
Concerns that 5G service could interfere with airplane altimeters, which give data on a plane’s height above ground and are crucial for bad-weather landings, led to disruptions at some U.S. airports last year involving international carriers.
The IATA warned that many airlines will not be able to comply with the upgrades by the agency’s deadlines, citing “supply chain, certification and logistical issues.”
“As such, one can expect flight disruptions post the March and July deadlines unless the FAA and the U.S. government take a different approach to this interference issue,” IATA said.
In June, Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. voluntarily agreed to delay some C-band 5G use until July 2023 to allow time for air carriers to retrofit airplanes to ensure they will not face interference.
The IATA said the costs are higher per plane than the FAA estimated and said it should include the costs of 6,000 planes already retrofitted and the non-U.S. registered planes that will be impacted.
Airlines Want More Time
Meanwhile, U.S. airlines urged the FAA to extend its altimeter retrofit deadline to June 2024 as their fleets won’t be ready within the current timeframe.Airlines for America (A4A), which represents American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and others said on Friday that a “material number of aircraft” in U.S. fleets will not be modified by July and without changes it could “severely limit operations” and lead to flight delays and cancellations.
Wireless trade group CTIA, which represents Verizon and AT&T, said the FAA provided ample time for airlines and should not extend the deadlines.
“By requiring accountability, the FAA is taking important steps to ensure radio altimeter performance is more resilient while enabling timely C-Band 5G deployment,” CTIA said.
