5G Interference Threatens Aircraft Safety Systems Across Aviation Sector

The rollout of 5G telecommunications networks is creating a significant operational challenge for the global aviation industry, with airlines reporting that radio altimeter interference is becoming increasingly problematic during critical flight phases. The issue stems from the proximity of 5G C-band frequencies to the radio altimeter spectrum, causing signal degradation that has already resulted in multiple rejected landings at airports worldwide.

Radio altimeters operate within the 4.2 GHz to 4.4 GHz frequency band, whilst 5G C-band signals occupy the 3.4 GHz to 4.2 GHz range. This narrow separation creates interference through a process known as signal bleeding, whereby the more powerful 5G transmissions degrade the precision of altitude measurements that pilots depend upon for safe approach and landing procedures. The International Air Transport Association has warned that existing filtering solutions provide only partial mitigation of this interference.

The safety implications are most acute during the final approach phase, when aircraft operate at lower altitudes near urban centres where 5G infrastructure is densest. Nick Careen, IATA’s safety chief, noted that interference has already triggered several go-around incidents in which pilots have been forced to abort landings and circle for another approach. Whilst pilots possess alternative methods for determining altitude, the loss of primary radio altimeter functionality creates measurable risk during these critical flight phases.

Resolving this technical challenge requires investment in new radio filtering technology, though industry experts anticipate such systems will not be commercially available until 2032 at the earliest, with some estimates extending to 2035. The telecommunications sector has little incentive to modify deployment strategies given the substantial financial investment in spectrum acquisition; US spectrum rights alone generated 100 billion dollars in government revenue.

A compromise agreement between the Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Communications Commission in the United States has established operational guidelines until 2028, though this represents only a temporary solution. Telecommunications companies could mitigate interference by repositioning antenna arrays away from airport approaches and reducing transmission power, yet such modifications remain economically unattractive given current regulatory frameworks and the scale of 5G infrastructure investment.

The aviation industry faces a challenging decade ahead, with safety protocols requiring careful balancing against the telecommunications sector’s commercial expansion. Industry leaders have acknowledged the structural imbalance in negotiating positions, given that 5G represents a far larger economic interest than individual airline operations. Strategic solutions will require coordinated international regulatory action to establish mandatory technical standards for both telecommunications and aviation sectors.