US lifts laptop ban for all remaining airlines and airports
20 Jul 2017 21:16:32
techcrunch.com
The U.S. has now lifted entirely a controversial ban on laptops in hand luggage for passengers flying to the country from the Middle East or via certain Middle Eastern airlines, with the Department of Homeland Security professing itself satisfied with “enhanced security measures in place”.
It had already lifted the ban for three major airlines, earlier this month. But late yesterday an official tweeted that all restrictions had been lifted for remaining airlines and airports.
The laptop ban, which also barred other large electronic devices such as tablets and e-readers from hand luggage, was initiated in March. It immediately covered all flights to U.S. destinations from 10 airports in the Middle East, including major travel hubs such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, as well as nine airlines.
The ban was said to have been introduced to increase national security, based on evaluated intelligence that indicated terrorist organizations were looking to hide explosives in consumer electronics and smuggle them onto passenger planes.
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