U.S., Britain ban devices in carry-ons
WASHINGTON — The U.S. and British governments, citing unspecified threats, are barring passengers on some international flights from mostly Middle Eastern and North African countries from bringing laptops, tablets, electronic games and other devices on board in carryon bags.
Passengers flying to the U.S. from 10 airports in eight countries will be allowed only cellphones and smartphones in the passenger cabins, senior Trump administration officials said. Larger electronic items must be checked.
The British security rules will affect flights from six countries and will bar passengers from taking “any phones, laptops or tablets larger than a normal sized mobile or smartphone,” into the cabin.
The U.S. rules took effect Tuesday, and airlines will have until 3 a.m. Saturday to implement them or face being barred from flying to the U.S., the officials said.
They said the decision was prompted by “evaluated intelligence” about potential threats to airplanes bound for the U.S. The officials would not discuss the timing of the intelligence or if any particular terror group is thought to be planning an attack.
Trump administration officials briefed reporters on condition they not be identified publicly. That was despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated insistence that anonymous sources should not be trusted.
The electronics ban affects flights from international airports to the U.S. from in Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Cairo, Egypt; Istanbul, Turkey; Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. About 50 flights a day, all on foreign carriers, will be affected. The officials said no U.S.-based airlines have nonstop flights from those cities to the U.S.
The British security rules will apply to flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
The ban would begin just before Wednesday’s meeting of the U.S.led coalition against Islamic State in Washington. A number of top Arab officials were expected to attend the State Department gathering. It was unclear whether their travel plans were related to any increased worry about security threats.