WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told airlines on Tuesday the Biden administration does not plan to extend a July 1 deadline for airlines to retrofit airplane altimeters to address potential interference, the department confirmed.
The International Air Transport Association, which represents more than 100 carriers that fly to the United States, said Tuesday that “supply chain issues make it unlikely that all aircraft can be upgraded by the 1 July deadline, threatening operational disruptions during the peak northern summer travel season.”
Buttigieg told airlines on a call the department does not plan to extend the deadline and urged them to work aggressively to continue retrofitting airplanes.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler)