Delta Air Lines Airlines Calls Its Entire Fleet Now No Longer Worried About 5G Wireless Signal Disruption

Illustration of the Delta Air Lines airline fleet. (Wikimedia Commons/BriYYZ)

JAKARTA - The airline Delta Air Lines said on Thursday it had completed an upgrade of its entire fleet to protect key equipment from 5G wireless signal interference, closing a hole that could disrupt flights over low visibility.

The airline said its entire fleet of aircraft that are actively flying currently has radio altimeters that are protected from interference.

"This means that no Delta aircraft will be subject to additional problems caused by the weather," a Delta spokesperson said, launching Tech Xplore September 1.

Previously, about 190 of the 900 Delta aircraft fleet did not have an upgraded altimeter until the end of June. The device uses radio signals to precisely measure the altitude of the aircraft above the ground level.

This problem forced Delta to consider changing the routes of the planes, to avoid a low visibility situation while waiting for new parts from suppliers. Delta said they made it through the summer without major problems with the altimeter.

Earlier, US Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned in June that airlines could face operational constraints in bad weather if they did not update the plane before the July 1 deadline.

Fears 5G services could disrupt aircraft altimeters, which provide data on aircraft altitudes above ground and are essential for landings in bad weather, causing brief disruption at several US airports last year as international airlines canceled multiple flights.

Last year, Verizon and AT&T voluntarily agreed to postpone some C-Band 5G usage until July, as airlines seek to repair aircraft altimeters.

Minister Buttigieg said in an interview on July 20, the transition to making airlines meet 5G standards went better than expected, with minimal disruption.

He said, although most airlines were ready, the effort "suggested a lot of pressure."

"It took a while when we really had to make sure they could read our body language, that we were really serious. I don't think airlines trusted us from the start," he said.

Several aviation experts and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) believe the C-Band signal is too close to the frequency used by radio altimeters.

Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission, which licenses 5G to wireless companies, said there was no risk of interference.