# 2026-13162: 5G in Canada Forces New Airplane Safety Rules

2026-13162, Airworthiness Directives; Transport and Commuter Category Airplanes, is a Federal Register rule from Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration published 2026-06-30, effective 2026-07-01; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-07).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13162
- As of: 2026-07-07
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-13162
- Title: Airworthiness Directives; Transport and Commuter Category Airplanes
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Transportation Department; Federal Aviation Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 39399
- Published: 2026-06-30
- Effective: 2026-07-01
- Comments close: 2026-08-14
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: 2120-AA64
- Last updated: 2026-07-07

## In one line

5G in Canada Forces New Airplane Safety Rules

## Summary

Starting July 1, 2026, all transport and commuter airplanes with radio altimeters must update their flight manuals to limit certain operations in Canadian airspace. This change is because 5G signals in Canada can mess with altimeter readings, which could be unsafe. Pilots and airlines need to follow these new rules to keep flights safe, with comments on the rule open until August 14, 2026.

## Abstract

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all transport and commuter category airplanes equipped with a radio (also known as radar) altimeter. This AD was prompted by the determination that radio altimeters cannot be relied upon to perform their intended function if they experience interference from wireless broadband operations in the 3.7-3.98 GHz frequency band (5G Lower C-Band) while operating in Canadian airspace. This AD requires revising the existing airplane flight manual (AFM) to incorporate limitations prohibiting certain operations requiring radio altimeter data when operating within the Canadian airspace. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

## Effects PRIA read

- Flight manual limits for Canadian airspace: benefit, medium. Starting July 1, 2026, transport and commuter airplanes that are NOT shown to be radio-altimeter tolerant must have their airplane flight manual (AFM) revised before any further flight in Canadian airspace to prohibit certain operations that rely on radio altimeter data. The prohibited operations i…
- Part 121 airplanes must be retrofit to be tolerant: cost, high. Airplanes operating under 14 CFR part 121 in Canadian airspace must be modified from a non-radio altimeter tolerant configuration to a radio altimeter tolerant configuration; once modified, the AFM limitations for that airplane may be removed. The AD treats such a modification as terminating action…
- Estimated compliance costs for U.S. fleet: cost, high. The FAA estimates this AD affects about 1,000 U.S.-registered transport and commuter airplanes and gives a total U.S. fleet compliance cost of up to $50,382,000. Estimated per-airplane costs shown include an AFM revision at $85, radio-altimeter replacement up to $120,000 (estimated for ~180 airplan…

## Related documents

- [2026-15585](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15585): Requirements for Interference-Tolerant Radio Altimeter Systems, 2026-07-31
- [2026-13440](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13440): Enabling Supersonic Overland Flight, 2026-07-02
- [2026-13126](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13126): Designation-Restrict the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft in Close Proximity to a Fixed Site Facility; Extension of Comment Period, 2026-06-30
- [2026-08943](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08943): Designation-Restrict the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft in Close Proximity to a Fixed Site Facility, 2026-05-06
- [2025-04846](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-04846): Extension of the Prohibition Against Certain Flights in the Territory and Airspace of Libya, 2025-03-20
- [2025-03853](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-03853): Enforcement Policy Regarding “Drug and Alcohol Testing of Certificated Repair Station Employees Located Outside of the United States; Corre…, 2025-03-11

## Sources
- [2026-13162 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/30/2026-13162/airworthiness-directives-transport-and-commuter-category-airplanes)
- [2026-13162 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-30/pdf/2026-13162.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-13155, Resilient Networks; Concerning Disruptions to Communications](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13155)
- [Next: 2026-13174, Bifenthrin; Pesticide Tolerances](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13174)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13162 (as of 2026-07-07).