The Trump administration has banned laptops, iPads, cameras and other electronic goods larger than a cell phone in carry-on (cabin) baggage for flights to the US originating from 10 Gulf, West Asia and North Africa airports. The ban is temporary, and all said items can be checked in the baggage that goes into the cargo hold. The ban will not apply to return flights from the US to the 10 red-flagged airports.
News of the ban emerged on Monday from the Royal Jordanian Airlines and the official news agency of Saudi Arabia, whose airlines will be among those affected, before it was confirmed by the department of homeland security (DHS). The ban covers all flights to the US from Cairo, Egypt; Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia; Istanbul, Turkey and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE.
The new rules will come into effect immediately, and the DHS pointed to terror threats as the eason for the ban, while indicating more airports might come under the restrictions. “Intelligence indicates terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation and are pursuing innovative methods to undertake their attacks, to include smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items,” a DHS fact sheet explained. The banned devices include laptops, tablets, e-readers, cameras, DVD players, and any electronic game bigger than a smartphone.
