Connect with us
Monday,09-June-2025
Breaking News

Business

Air India among airlines skipping US airports over 5G safety dispute

Published

on

Air India joined at least nine other international airlines that have modified or cancelled flights to the US amid conflicting reports on what new 5G cell phone services can do to critical airplane technologies.

Carriers are taking a variety of approaches to the spiraling crisis. Air India, Emirates, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa and British Airways have announced changes to some of their flights.

Air India said it would suspend the service between Delhi and San Francisco, Chicago and JFK as well as a Mumbai to Newark flight. It will continue to fly into Washington Dulles.

Both ANA and Japan Airlines said they cancelled some flights scheduled to use Boeing 777 aircraft, but will operate some flights using Boeing 787s instead.

Emirates suspended flights into Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas Fort Worth, George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, Miami, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco and Seattle.A

Emirates continued flying into New York’s John F. Kennedy airport, Los Angeles International and Washington Dulles.

Lufthansa cancelled a flight between Frankfurt and Miami and said it would swap Boeing 747-8 aircraft for 747-400s on flights from Frankfurt to Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco.

CNN Business quoted a British Airways spokesman that the airline “had to make a handful of cancellations” because a decision by telecom operators to delay activating the new 5G service at some locations didn’t cover all the airports the airline serves.

Virgin Atlantic and Air France-KLM said they had not cancelled any flights but were monitoring the situation.

Delta Air Lines said it is planning for the possibility of weather-related cancellations as early as Wednesday due to the new 5G service in the vicinity of dozens of US airports.

US air transport regulator, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has been concerned that the version of 5G that was scheduled to be switched on could interfere with some airplane instruments. Some aviation industry groups shared those fears. This is despite reassurances from federal telecom regulators and well as wireless carriers.

Specifically, the FAA has been worried that 5G cellular antennas near some airports – not air mobile devices – could throw off readings from some aircraft equipment designed to tell pilots how far they are from the ground.

The systems, radar altimeters, are used throughout a flight and are considered critical. (Radar altimeters differ from standard altimeters, which rely on air pressure readings and do not use radio signals to gauge altitude.)

In December, the FAA had forbidden pilots from using the potentially affected altimeters around airports where low-visibility conditions would otherwise require them.

That new rule could keep planes from getting to some airports in certain circumstances, because pilots would be unable to land using instruments alone.

“We are frustrated by the FAA’s inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services, and we urge it to do so in a timely manner,” an AT&T spokesperson said.

Earlier this week, mobile carriers AT&T and Verizon agreed to pause the rollout of the new high-speed 5G wireless service near major airports.

The Biden administration welcomed the halt, saying this “will avoid potentially devastating disruptions to passenger travel, cargo operations, and our economic recovery, while allowing more than 90 per cent of wireless tower deployment to occur as scheduled.”

“While this is a positive development toward preventing widespread disruptions to flight operations, some flight restrictions may remain,” Delta said.

In a Tuesday letter, CEOs from some airlines told the Biden administration to push back the already-delayed rollout.

Airlines estimate 1,000 flight disruptions per day because of possible interference with radar altimeters that pilots use to land in low visibility conditions.

The telecom industry has not commented on the CEOs letter, but has said fears are unfounded since there have not been problems in other countries where 5G is already deployed.

According to a service map by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), areas in California, Florida, New England, Texas and the midwest will gain 5G coverage. But aviation groups warn that it could jeopardize some of the largest airports, including in Los Angeles, New York and Houston.

The 5G signals will travel over radio frequencies that are collectively known as the C-Band. This band of airwaves is attractive to wireless carriers because it offers a good balance between cellular range and capacity – two key features of any wireless network. (Other sets of airwaves besides the C-Band are also used to carry 5G, but the current debate focuses on just the C-Band frequencies.)

On the spectrum of radio frequencies used for wireless communications, the C-Band sits right next to the band of frequencies used by the aircraft altimeters. The two are intentionally separated by a so-called guard band – essentially “blank” airwaves – to safeguard against interference.

To further address any aircraft risks, Verizon and AT&T have offered in November to limit the power of their 5G antennas and to take other precautionary measures.

But that hasn’t been enough to allay the concerns of the FAA, whose 11th-hour order would have “an enormous negative impact on the aviation industry,” the CEOs of Boeing and Airbus wrote in a letter Monday to the Department of Transportation.

The CEOs added: “We agree that 5G interference could adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate.”

The letter cites an estimate published by the industry group Airlines for America, which predicts the FAA restrictions will disrupt 345,000 passenger flights, 32 million passengers and 5,400 cargo flights. The FAA’s own order estimates that 6,800 US airplanes could be affected by the plan, along with 1,800 helicopters.

Technology experts say that while 5G antennas could theoretically lead to interference around airports, the potential for interference is an ever-present feature of all wireless communications – not just 5G – and that so far regulators around the world have done a good job of handling it.

National

Clear focus on good governance and transformation: PM Modi on 11 years of ‘seva’

Published

on

PM MODI

New Delhi, June 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India has witnessed rapid transformations across diverse sectors in the last 11 years, and the NDA government, guided by the principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’, has delivered pathbreaking changes with speed, scale and sensitivity.

Marking the 11 years of the NDA government at the Centre, PM Modi on Monday took to social media to highlight the efforts made across key sectors. India has undergone a decade of remarkable transformation, driven by the principles of Seva, Sushasan, and Garib Kalyan, he said.

PM Modi said there has been a clear focus on good governance and transformation.

“Powered by the blessings and collective participation of 140 crore Indians, India has witnessed rapid transformations across diverse sectors. Guided by the principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’, the NDA Government has delivered pathbreaking changes with speed, scale and sensitivity,” PM Modi wrote on his X post.

He said that from economic growth to social upliftment, the government’s focus has been on people-centric, inclusive and all-around progress. India today is not just the fastest-growing major economy, but also a key global voice on pressing issues like climate action and digital innovation.

“We are proud of our collective success but at the same time, we look ahead with hope, confidence and a renewed resolve to build a Viksit Bharat!” said the Prime Minister.

PM Modi shared links about India’s Vikas Yatra, showcased through interesting videos, infographics, and articles on the NaMo App, and urged people to explore these.

He said the last 11 years have brought many positive changes and boosted ‘Ease of Living.’

“The NaMo App takes you through this transformative journey in an innovative manner, through interactive games, quizzes, surveys and other such formats that inform, engage and inspire. Do have a look…,” PM Modi shared and urged people to participate.

The Centre has released an e-book, “Viksit Bharat ka Amrit Kaal: Seva, Sushasan, Garib Kalyan ke 11 Saal”, on its achievements across all the sectors over the past 11 years under the leadership of PM Modi.

“The year 2025 marks 11 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. These 11 years have been dedicated to bring about development which is inclusive, progressive, and sustainable. The government under Prime Minister Modi has been steadfast in its commitment of creating equity and opportunity for all citizens. PM Modi has brought the politics of development – Vikasvaad – into the mainstream, making it the focal point around which political discourse and policy action now revolves,” said its introduction

Divided into 14 chapters, the book covers issues ranging from schemes for the poor and marginalised, farmer welfare, economy, healthcare, women/youth empowerment, infrastructure development, tech revolution, ease-of-living for middle class, the progress made in northeast, national security and foreign policy, environment and sustainability initiatives, and preservation and propagation of the country’s rich culture and heritage

“Since assuming office in 2014, PM Modi has remained firm in his resolve of keeping ‘India First’ in every policy formulation and action. This resolve is evident in government’s handling of both external and internal security, economic management, empowerment schemes for marginalised groups, efforts at cultural conservation and so on,” it said.

Continue Reading

Business

India embraces cashless revolution in last 11 years: Nirmala Sitharaman

Published

on

Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi, June 9: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that India is embracing a cashless revolution with world-class digital initiatives like unified payments interface (UPI).

In the last 11 years, India has seen a remarkable journey under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the finance minister said on a post on X.

“India is embracing a cashless revolution. With Rs 70,000 crore+ worth UPI transactions daily and 59.6 crore transactions in a single day, digital payments are now the norm,” the minister added.

From making life easier for the common citizen to boosting business confidence, it’s been a decade of real and visible change, she further stated.

India today is not just the fastest-growing major economy, but also a key global voice on pressing issues like climate action and digital innovation.

In the month of May, UPI posted a robust growth by processing 18.68 billion transactions, up from 17.89 billion in April. As per data by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the UPI transactions mark a 33 per cent year-on-year (YoY) surge compared to 14.03 billion transactions in the same month last year.

The UPI transactions rose to Rs 25.14 lakh crore (by value) last month, a 5 per cent increase from Rs 23.95 lakh crore in April. This reflects a 23 per cent rise from Rs 20.45 lakh crore in May last year. The average daily transaction volume stood at 602 million, while the average daily transaction value reached Rs 81,106 crore.

The UPI has strengthened its dominance in India’s digital payments system with its share in the total transaction volume rising to 83.7 per cent in 2024-25 from 79.7 per cent in the previous financial year.

The RBI’s annual report shows that UPI facilitated 185.8 billion transactions during 2024-25, which represents a 41 per cent year-on-year increase. In value terms, UPI transactions rose to Rs 261 lakh crore from Rs 200 lakh crore in FY24.

Continue Reading

National

Assam CM holds meeting on governance issues, focus on police welfare

Published

on

Guwahati, June 9: In a series of high-level meetings held throughout the day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reviewed a broad spectrum of governance issues, placing particular emphasis on police welfare, social benefit schemes, infrastructure investment, and agricultural exports.

Taking to social media platform X on Sunday, CM Sarma outlined key outcomes of the discussions.

The primary discussions among them was the announcement of a new model aimed at ensuring timely promotions for Assam police personnel.

“We are working on a model to ensure time-bound promotions from Constable to Havildar through the Assured Career Progression Scheme,” the Chief Minister posted, emphasising the need for recognising the hard work and dedication of the state’s police force.

The CM also assessed the district-wise and Legislative Assembly constituency-wise implementation of the Orunodoi 3.0 scheme, Assam’s flagship direct benefit transfer initiative.

He directed officials to ensure that no deserving beneficiary is excluded from the scheme, which aims to offer financial aid to economically vulnerable households.

In addition, CM Sarma reviewed the status of various projects under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment, a Central government initiative to support infrastructure development.

The review aimed at accelerating the pace of ongoing works and addressing bottlenecks in execution.

On the agricultural front, the Chief Minister highlighted the success of the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) in expanding the global reach of the state’s agri-products.

With APART 2 in the pipeline, the state government plans to integrate the project with the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative to deliver cohesive outcomes and boost farmer incomes.

The day’s reviews reflect the government’s push toward administrative efficiency, welfare delivery, and economic development in Assam.

The CM said on X, “Took an in-depth review on the progress of various schemes ongoing under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment. @apartassam has been successful in taking forward Assam’s agri products to the world market. We are making it more potent through APART 2 which will also link up with ODOP for cohesive results and boost farmers’ incomes.”

Continue Reading

Trending