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Turkey, Emirates lifts Electronic ban on U.S. bound-flights

Emirates and Turkish Airlines on Wednesday said the in-cabin ban it placed on laptops and other large electronic devices on U.S.-bound flights from Dubai and Istanbul has been lifted .

This was  announced three days after restrictions were lifted on Etihad Airways’ hub Abu Dhabi International Airport.

After new security measures announced by the U.S. on June 28 were implemented, the ban was lifted “effective immediately” on Dubai International, the world’s busiest airport for international travel, an Emirates spokeswoman said in a statement.

Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline and which flies to 12 U.S. cities, had blamed travel restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration for a drop in demand on U.S. flights.

The Dubai-based carrier cut flights to five U.S. cities from May, though has since said demand was starting to return on some routes.

Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines in a statement said that passengers traveling to the U.S. could now take their laptops onboard.

Chief Executive Bilal Eksi also tweeted that the airline expected a similar ban flights to Britain would soon be lifted.

The Dogan news agency reported that U.S. and British officials carried out inspections of security measures at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport on Tuesday.

There was no immediate comment available from U.S. officials on the lifting of the ban in Dubai and Istanbul.

The U.K. ban does not apply to flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

In March, the United States imposed the ban on flights originating at 10 airports in eight countries, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey,- to address fears that bombs could be concealed in electronic devices taken aboard aircraft.

The U. S. announced on June 29 enhanced security measures for flights to the country which require additional time to screen passengers and personal electronic devices for possible explosives.

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the new measures which takes effect within three weeks of the announcement, will affect around 325,000 daily passengers traveling on 180 airlines from 280 airports around the world, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Airlines that fail to meet the new security requirements could still face in-cabin electronics restrictions.

Saudi Arabia Airlines (Saudia) expects the ban to lifted on flights from Jeddah and Riyadh by July 19, state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday.

 

Posted by Juliet Ekwebelam

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