MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Latam Airlines drops 777s to the US out of fear of 5G interferences

Boeing has issued a recommendation not to fly the 777 to the United States due to possible problems landing in areas where 5G is active

Latam Airlines has agreed to follow Boeing's advice and not use the 777 models for its services between Brazil and the United States to avoid problems stemming from 5G cell phone antennas which may interfere with navigation gear.

The South American carrier has thus joined four other major airlines serving the United States: All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Air Lines (JAL), Emirates and Air India.

Boeing has issued a recommendation not to fly the 777 to the United States due to possible problems landing in areas where 5G is active. The operating band of the new technology is the same as that of the radio altimeter, an important instrument in precision approaches that could give inaccurate readouts or not work at all.

Latam, the only South American currently operating the 777 has decided to replace it with the older 767s or the smaller but more modern 787 Dreamliners, although the Federal Aviation Administration has also issued a statement last week warning carriers about possible problems with the 787s.

Telephone operators AT&T and Verizon have promised to delay the arrival of 5G in airport areas, but they have not specified how far from airports the restrictions would go or how things will work in the near future.

Latam has said in a statement that “it will use the Boeing 787 on the Guarulhos-Miami route and the Boeing 767 on the Guarulhos-New York route. The company is closely following the matter to make further adjustments, if necessary, always in accordance with the recommendations of the aeronautical authorities of the countries in which it operates.”

On its routes to the United States from other South American cities, Latam operates 787s: from Santiago to Miami, Los Angeles and New York, from Lima to New York and from Bogotá to Miami), 767-300s from Santiago to Miami and from Lima to Miami, Los Angeles and New York) and the Airbus A320 from Lima to Orlando.