US civil aviation claims that mobile signals still pose risks to some Boeing aircraft.
A 2014 study conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US government agency responsible for civil aviation, reported a rather worrying security issue. The latter had revealed that smartphones, Wi-Fi interference, and even weather radar could pose a threat to the safety of the Boeing 737 (already badly shipped for long months) and 777, more reserved for the long-haul.
The battle of numbers
The report called into question some cockpit screens of the aircraft, 1,300 at the time, registered in the US and vulnerable to the various technologies mentioned. But according to our colleagues Bloomberg, some devices still use obsolete screens made by Honeywell International.
A battle of the numbers is taking place as a spokeswoman for Honeywell says that only 70 devices could have been affected by this screen problem. And nothing really proves that the aircraft concerned are still all in the air. In any event, the FAA has set November 2019 as the deadline to replace units that may be defective.
Sensitive information that disappears from screens
Interference on the screens can cause them to stop communicating data related to speed and navigation, which is very sensitive and decisive for pilots. In the game of liar poker, if Honeywell says that its screens are safe for the safety of the devices, dozens of pilots reportedly have blank displays of data.
The probability of flying on an aircraft with such a screen remains extremely thin if not zero. Companies like Delta and Southwest Airlines have said they have replaced their screens. Only a few United Airlines and American Airlines aircraft would still be concerned. Ryanair has replaced the defective screens.
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