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Airlines Have Until 2024 To Make 5G Upgrades Under FAA AD

The proposed airworthiness directive would require passenger and cargo aircraft in the U.S. be equipped with 5G C-Band tolerant altimeters by next February.

The FAA has proposed a requirement that passenger and cargo aircraft in the U.S. be equipped with 5G C-Band tolerant altimeters by 2024. [Credit: Adobe Stock]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The FAA has proposed a mandatory Airworthiness Directive (AD) requiring U.S. passenger and cargo aircraft to be equipped with 5G C-Band tolerant altimeters or radio frequency filters by February 2024.
  • This directive aims to resolve persistent 5G interference with aircraft radio altimeters, critical for safe operations and low-visibility landings, despite previous voluntary mitigation efforts by wireless carriers.
  • The AD stipulates that unretrofitted aircraft will be prohibited from performing low-visibility landings after June 30, 2023, urging aviation operators to complete the necessary upgrades.
See a mistake? Contact us.

The FAA is proposing an airworthiness directive (AD) that would require passenger and cargo aircraft in the U.S. be equipped with 5G C-Band tolerant altimeters or appropriate radio frequency filters by February 2024.

According to a statement sent to FLYING, “the proposed AD will continue to allow aviation and the 5G C-Band to safely coexist.”

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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