Airlines cancel, change flights despite 5G rollout delays

Multiple airlines canceled or delayed flights to the United States ahead of an anticipated 5G rollout scheduled for Wednesday even though wireless carriers agreed on Tuesday to pause the deployment around some airports, Reuters reported.

Airlines including Emirates canceled flights with Boeing 777s due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s warning that 5G interference could affect height cockpit readings.

Emirates, which is the world’s largest operator of the Boeing 777, announced that its cancellations were due to “operational concerns associated with the planned deployment of 5G mobile network services in the U.S. at certain airports,” The Associated Press noted.

“We are working closely with aircraft manufacturers and the relevant authorities to alleviate operational concerns, and we hope to resume our U.S. services as soon as possible,” the airline added.

Both AT&T and Verizon announced on Tuesday that they would temporarily halt their plans to roll out 5G near major airports in the U.S.

But airline industry insiders told Reuters that the wireless providers’ decision came too late to allow them to adjust flights on Wednesday.

British Airways and cargo airlines AeroLogic and Polar reportedly decided to switch aircraft from Boeing 777s or redirect flights away from airports that were thought to be affected by the 5G rollout.

Emirates noted that it would switch to its larger A380 aircraft for travel to Los Angeles and New York, but would continue flying the 777 to Washington, which it said was not affected by the deployment, Reuters noted.