FAA clears Boeing 777 and other planes after 5G warning halted some flights

Enlarge / A Boeing 777. (credit: Boeing)

The Federal Aviation Administration today said it has cleared 62 percent of US commercial airplanes to perform low-visibility landings at airports where AT&T and Verizon are deploying 5G on C-band spectrum this week.

Several international airlines previously canceled some flights to the US after Boeing issued a recommendation to not fly the 777 into airports where carriers are deploying 5G on the C-band. However, the 777 planes-or at least those that have altimeters capable of filtering out C-band transmissions-were on the FAA's new list of cleared aircraft. The FAA has been granting Alternate Means of Compliance (AMOCs) to operators with altimeters that are safe to use.

"Airplane models with one of the five cleared altimeters include some Boeing 717, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, MD-10/-11 and Airbus A300, A310, A319, A320, A330, A340, A350 and A380 models," the FAA said in a statement issued shortly after 2 pm EST today. These airplanes are now authorized "to perform low-visibility landings at airports where wireless companies deployed 5G C-band," the FAA said. The word "some" indicates that not every plane with the mentioned model numbers has an approved altimeter.

Read 20 remaining paragraphs | Comments