Federal Register #FAA-2026-7203

FAA Mandates Boeing 787 Flight Manual Revisions and Optional Upgrades for 5G Interference in Canadian Airspace

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is mandating new operational limitations for Boeing 787 airplanes due to 5G wireless interference risks in Canadian airspace. - Government Buyer: - Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Continued Operational Safety Branch - OEM Highlight: - The Boeing Company is the primary OEM for all affected aircraft - Products/Services Requested: - Revision of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) for all Boeing 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 airplanes (approx. 192 U.S.-registered aircraft) - Requires operators to prohibit certain landings and Minimum Equipment List (MEL) item usage in Canadian airspace for non-radio altimeter tolerant airplanes - Optional modifications to remove these limitations: - Radio altimeter replacement (to achieve radio altimeter tolerance) - Addition of interference-mitigating filters - Notable Requirements: - Compliance is required before further flight in Canadian airspace for affected aircraft - Upgrading to radio altimeter tolerant status (via replacement or filter addition) removes the operational limitations - Estimated costs: up to $120,000 per airplane for altimeter replacement; up to $14,040 per filter for filter addition - The directive is an interim action and may be updated based on future changes in the Canadian 5G environment

Description

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 airplanes. This AD addresses unsafe conditions caused by interference from wireless broadband operations in the 3.7-3.98 GHz frequency band (5G Lower C-Band) while operating in Canadian airspace, which affects radio altimeters and certain airplane systems during landing. The directive requires revising the airplane flight manual (AFM) to include limitations on operations requiring radio altimeter data in Canadian airspace to ensure safety. The AD is effective July 1, 2026, with comments requested by August 14, 2026.

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