5G concerns, fog lead to more cancellations at Paine Field

More Alaska Airlines flights out of Paine Field were cancelled Thursday, citing issues created by the combination of 5G signals and fog.

Major US airlines warn of flight disruptions Wednesday as new 5G service starts

Initially, the Federal Aviation Administration and a number major airlines were worried that there could be interference from the new 5G system that could mess with the altimeters, asking that the full rollout of these new frequencies be delayed until more testing can be done.

Last week, the FAA approved a handful of commercial airplane models to land in low-visibility situations in areas where 5G signals are present. That includes Alaska Airlines’ Boeing and Airbus aircraft. The regional jets used by Horizon Air — which is owned by Alaska and operates out of Paine Field — have not yet been cleared at certain airports, and are still under restrictions during low visibility conditions such as dense fog.

As of early Thursday morning, four flights have been cancelled amid ongoing foggy weather conditions. The airline canceled all of its flights out of the airport on Tuesday, with more cancellations occurring the following day as well.

There were also early concerns for larger airports like Sea-Tac, which were assuaged when the FAA cleared most of Boeing and Airbus’ primary passenger planes last week.

KIRO 7 TV staff contributed to this report.