Passengers on Saudi-UK flights allowed to carry laptops

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that passengers traveling on its airlines to the United Kingdom would once again be allowed to carry on electronic devices, reversing a ban put in place this year for security reasons.

Passengers will be able to use laptops and tablets in aircraft cabins on flights from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah starting from Thursday, the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement on its official Twitter account.

The US and Britain implemented curbs on electronic items in the cabin in March on direct flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia in response to unspecified security threats.

The US lifted its ban in July on passengers on Saudi Arabian airlines carrying large electronics on board flights bound for America.

Meanwhile, European aviation safety authorities have urged airlines to remind passengers about how best to transport electronic devices containing lithium ion batteries over the busy Christmas travel period.

Lithium ion batteries, found in devices such as laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and electronic cigarettes, are seen as a fire risk, and there are concerns that if a fire were to start in the hold of a plane, it could not easily be extinguished.