The Ministry of Civil Aviation has advised telecom service providers to take steps to minimise interference of 5G services in aircraft operations, which includes establishing safety and buffer zones while placing 5G towers in the vicinity of airports. K. Singh, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, has informed the parliament that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has not conducted any study on the potential effect of 5G signals on safe civil aircraft operations. However, DGCA has reviewed the studies and actions undertaken by various countries during the launch of 5G on the potential interference of 5G C-band signals on radio altimeters installed on the aircraft and risk involved in air travel. The review has shown that there is a chance of interference showing up in the functioning of Radio Altimeters in the aircrafts due to C-band 5G signal, which might affect vital aircraft systems and lead to unsafe aircraft operations. To this end, telecom operators have been adviced to take measures while placing 5G towers in the vicinity of airports.
