Aviation ministry unlikely to take hasty call on 5G altimeter’s replacement

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is unlikely to immediately set a deadline for airlines to replace the radio altimeters (RAs) in their aircraft because it believes that hasty decisions, without sufficient data, cannot be made in matters related to aviation safety, senior government officials have informed Business Standard.

In September, telecom service providers Reliance Jio, and Bharti Airtel, represented by the industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), requested the MoCA to establish a deadline for all airlines to replace their RAs, so that they can roll out 5G broadband services near Indian airports.