HIGHLIGHTS

On Monday, AT&T and Verizon agreed to create buffer zones surrounding 50 airports.

The airports that aren't on this list can't enable low-visibility landings.

It will be able to assess measures to minimize interruptions as a result of the delay.

WHY IN NEWS 

When wireless carriers launch the new 5G C-band service on January 19, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a list of 50 US airports that would have buffer zones. On Monday, AT&T and Verizon agreed to establish buffer zones around 50 airports to lessen the danger of interruption caused by potential interference with critical flight sensors such as altimeters. They also decided to postpone deployment for two weeks, avoiding a safety standoff in the air. Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, and Seattle are among the airports on the list.

Read More: The US Federal Aviation Administration warns that 5G wireless service might still disrupt flights

The FAA stated that this does not 'necessarily' imply that low-visibility flights cannot take place at airports not listed in the top 50. AT&T and Verizon declined to comment after winning virtually all of the C-Band spectrum in an $80 billion (approximately Rs. 5,93,850 crore) auction last year. The FAA warned again on Thursday that despite the agreement, 5G wireless service could still disrupt flights, saying that 'even with the temporary buffer around 50 airports, 5G deployment will increase the risk of disruption during low visibility,' including 'flight cancellations, diverted flights, and delays.'

Some large airports, like Denver, Atlanta, and Ronald Reagan Washington National, aren't on the list because 5G isn't yet available, while others aren't because '5G towers are far enough away that a natural barrier exists.' The FAA stated that other airports that are not listed presently cannot authorise low-visibility landings. The delay, it claimed, would allow it to assess measures to minimize interruptions while also giving businesses more time to prepare 'If there is a risk to the flying public, we are required to halt the operation until we can demonstrate that it is safe,' the FAA stated.

ACI- The FAA list 'is largely irrelevant because the entire aviation system is about to be adversely impacted by this poorly planned and coordinated expansion of 5G service in and around airports,' according to NA President and CEO Kevin Burke, who heads the association representing US and Canadian airports. 'The so-called fix' would 'produce winners and losers within the airport community, and the entire aviation system will suffer as a result of the conditions of this agreement,' he warned. The 'FAA's attempts to create mitigations for airports that may be most impacted by interruptions produced by the rollout of new 5G service,' according to Airlines for America, a trade organization representing US passenger and freight airlines.