Air India said that the B777 operations to the United States had resumed after aviation authorities approved the flights. The brief halt in operations was linked to the 5G rollout in the United States.
More than eight flights of Air India bound for the United States had to be cancelled before the approval came through, media reports suggest.
In a statement released on Thursday, Air India said that the “matter regarding B777 flying into the USA has been sorted” and arrangements were being made for stranded passengers, news agency ANI reported.
Also Read: AT&T says it will delay some 5G after airlines raise alarms
Following the clearance, a flight to New York’s John F Kennedy airport had already departed from India. The remaining Air India flights bound for Chicago and San Francisco will also be leaving on Thursday.
The Federation of Indian Pilots, which reportedly has nearly 6,000 registered pilot members, said in a statement that the 5G rollout in the United States may potentially interfere with the aircraft’s radio, altitude meters and other equipment.
“It is important to fully understand and reduce potential 5G signal interference with radio altimeters that are integral to aircraft security systems. We understand that the activation of these services is a part of India’s select Coming soon in cities”, the Federation of Indian Pilots said in a statement earlier this month.
Also Read: Why airlines fear 5G will upend travel this week | Explained
Some flights to and from the United States were canceled on Wednesday even after AT&T and Verizon scaled back the rollout of high-speed wireless service that could interfere with aircraft technology that measures altitude, according to reports from Associated Press.
Airlines that fly only or mostly Airbus jets, including Air France and Ireland’s Aer Lingus, seemed less affected by the new 5G service.
Similar mobile networks have been deployed in more than three dozen countries, but there are key differences in how the Us networks are designed that raised concerns of potential problems for airlines.