Even as they were trying to fend off the challenges posed by Omicron variant, the Indian travel trade professionals were horrified by the crisis looming large in the United States where roll out of extremely powerful 5G mobile services see the telecom giants pitted in battle with airlines and aviation authorities who raise safety concerns over the placement and orientation of 5G towers that could interfere with aircraft navigation systems, threatening the safety of passengers and airplanes.

On Wednesday, Air India announced cancellation of flights to the United States, citing safety concerns due to roll out of 5G mobile network. The Indian flag carrier had joined a number of other international airlines that had also suspended flights to the US, days after CEOs of the 10 largest airlines in the United States who had asked for a delay in roll out of the 5G network, saying it was much more powerful than any other deployed around the world and that it could interfere with the safety and navigational equipment onboard some aircraft, notably the Boeing 777s, one of the most popular wide-bodied aircraft in service for long-haul routes today.

At the heart of the controversy lie the networks owned by AT&T and Verizon that are current deploying the C-band antennae across the country preparing for a nationwide launch of 5G. The airlines as well as the aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Agency, say that the C-band 5G on towers near airports could interfere with ATC’s functioning and also interfere with the radar altimeters, that are used by pilots for landing aircraft in low-visibility conditions and which indicate the distance of the aircraft from the ground.

The FAA had already put out a long and ever-growing list of airports where many services would have to be suspended should the 5G be switched on. Earlier this week, airlines estimated that it could lead to disruption in over 1000 flights every day. Though the telecom industry said there was no reason to worry as 5G services had already been deployed in over 40 countries across the world, finally they agreed to delay the powering on some towers in areas that were susceptible to interfering with airplanes.

The news of the delay in roll-out was greeted with a sigh of relief not just by the airlines but also by the travel trade in India which has been struggling to emerge from an unprecedented battering due to the pandemic-induced crisis.

The United States is one of the most promising destinations for Indian outbound travel, besides countries in the region such as Maldives, Sri Lanka or the UAE. Thus, any news of disruption of flights to the country would have been a big setback for the trade. Hence, as the news of a delay in 5G deployment in sensitive areas trickled in, the airlines, including Air India resumed their normal operations to the US, leading to a collective sigh of relief amongst the travel trade community.

Amid concerns raised by the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) regarding possible interference of 5G signals, it is undeniable fact that the issues which started in the US have affected Aviation and some travel from India too. Many countries quickly reacted to the same & travellers where inconvenienced.

‘‘Air India initially earlier announced the cancellation of flights due to the issue, and then resumed operations post receiving consent from the US government’s competent authority. Any such negative sentiment or news does temporarily affect the travel trade and aviation & raises concern,’’ Jyoti Mayal, president, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), the oldest travel trade association in India, tells India Outbound.

‘‘We at TAAI are doing our best to keep the confidence of travellers intact by keeping doors of communication open, and also by disseminating relevant information; however, an issue of such magnitude has once again raised a thought process about the security and safety of travellers amidst technology. I am sure that the concerned agencies, departments and ministries of India are looking into it and keeping a close watch, which will certainly keep the momentum of travelling while bubble agreements are in place,’’ adds Mayal.

‘‘Airlines are cancelling their flights to the US as the new 5G phone service could interfere with aircraft navigation systems. The decision to initially halt flight operations to USA was primarily done keeping in mind safety of passengers and crew, however this did create an initial inconvenience to passengers who were stranded and many whose Covid-19 tests expired and needed to be taken again. With the national carrier resuming operations, passengers stranded in the USA and those wanting to travel from India can now reconsider their travel plans,’’ Indiver Rastogi, president and group head, Global Business Travel at Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC, tells India Outbound.