5G Roll Out: Air India Resumes Normal US Flight Operations From Today, Efforts Underway For Stranded Passengers

Air India said it will resume normal flight operations to the US from Friday after the services were briefly suspended.

New Delhi: Air India said it will resume normal flight operations to the US from Friday. This comes after Air India suspended US flights for the past two days due to the deployment of 5G communications in the US. The airline also informed that arrangements are being worked upon for stranded passengers.

The airline informed passengers via its official Twitter handle: “#FlyAI : Flight operations to/from destinations in USA were affected during last two days. We would like to inform our passengers traveling to/from destinations in the USA that effective 0001hrs of 21st January 2022 normal flights operations will recommence to/from USA.”

#FlyAI : Flight operations to/from destinations in USA were affected during last two days.

We would like to inform our passengers traveling to/from destinations in the USA that effective 0001hrs of 21st January 2022 normal flights operations will recommence to/from USA.

— Air India (@airindiain) January 20, 2022

On Tuesday, the national carrier said that it will not be able to operate a number of US-bound flights due to the deployment of 5G communications in the US. As per industry insiders, the 5G network technology might cause certain crucial flight instruments to malfunction.

#FlyAI: Due to deployment of the 5G communications in USA,we will not be able to operate the following flights of 19th Jan'22:

AI101/102 DEL/JFK/DEL
AI173/174 DEL/SFO/DEL
AI127/126 DEL/ORD/DEL
AI191/144 BOM/EWR/BOM

Please standby for further updates.https://t.co/Cue4oHChwx

— Air India (@airindiain) January 18, 2022

Earlier, Boeing had cleared Air India to operate to the US on Boeing 777 aircraft. Accordingly, the first Air India flight left from New Delhi to JFK airport on Thursday morning.

Besides, Air India is expected to operate other flights to Chicago and San Francisco. “Arrangements to carry stranded passengers are being worked out,” the airline said. At present, Air India operates to five destinations in the US.

The US air transport regulator, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has been concerned that a version of 5G could interfere with some airplane instruments.

Earlier, aviation industry groups had shared those fears. This is despite reassurances from federal telecom regulators and well as wireless carriers.

Specifically, the FAA has been worried that 5G cellular antennas near some airports – not air mobile devices – could throw off readings from some aircraft equipment designed to tell pilots how far they are from the ground.

The systems, radar altimeters, are used throughout a flight and are considered critical.