The United States and Britain yesterday banned larger electronic devices from the passenger cabin on flights from some airports in Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa, reports AFP. The US ban will hit flights operated by nine airlines from eight countries and those are Royal Jordanian, EgyptAir, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways.
No US carriers are affected, but passengers on approximately 50 flights per day from some of the busiest hubs in the Muslim world will be obliged to follow the new emergency ruling.
The US has given until the weekend to tell all travelers to America to pack laptops, tablets and portable game consoles in their hold luggage. The airports touched by the US ban are Queen Alia International in Amman, Jordan; Cairo International in Egypt; Ataturk in Istanbul, Turkey; King Abdulaziz International in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; King Khalid International in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Kuwait International; Mohammed V International in Casablanca, Morocco; Hamad International in Doha, Qatar; and the Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports in the United Arab Emirates.
The British ban only involves six countries, two of which -- Lebanon and Tunisia -- do not feature on the US list. Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar and United Arab Emirates are on the USlist, but not the British one. The change affects six British airlines, including British Airways and EasyJet, and eight foreign carriers.
The ban comes as American officials warned that extremists are seeking "innovative" ways to attack airliners with smaller explosive devices hidden in consumer electronics bigger than smartphones.
Passengers flying directly to Britain from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey will be required to place those devices and large phones into hold luggage, a government spokesman said.
"The additional security measures may cause some disruption for passengers and flights, and we understand the frustration that will cause, but our top priority will always be to maintain the safety of British nationals," he said in a statement.
"We have been in close touch with the Americans to fully understand their position," the spokesman said. Prime Minister Theresa May has chaired a number of meetings on aviation security over the last few weeks, including on Tuesday morning, where the new measures were agreed, he said.
"Decisions to make changes to our aviation security regime are never taken lightly," he added. "We will not hesitate to act in order to maintain the safety of the travelling public and we will work closely with our international partners to minimise any disruption these new measures may cause."