Business Travel Alert: Yes, You Can take Your Laptops On Emirates Now- Valutrics

The US has lifted the in-cabin ban on laptops and other large electronic devices on US-bound flights from Dubai and Istanbul, Emirates and Turkish Airlines said.

The move comes three days after restrictions were lifted on Etihad Airways and its hub of Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The ban was lifted immediately on Dubai International, the world’s busiest airport for international travel, after fresh security measures announced by the US last week were implemented, Emirates sad in a statement.

Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline and which flies to 12 US cities, had blamed travel restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration for a drop in demand for US flights. The Dubai-based carrier cut flights to five US cities from May, though has since said demand was starting to return on some routes.

Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines said passengers traveling to the US could now take their laptops onboard. The airline expects a similar ban on flights to Britain to be lifted soon, chief executive Bilal Eksi tweeted.

US and British officials carried out inspections of security measures at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport on Tuesday, according to media reports.

In March, the US government temporarily banned passengers on certain flights originating in eight countries in the MENA region from bringing electronic items.

The restrictions applied to any device larger than a mobile phone such as a laptops, tablets, iPads, cameras and portable DVD players but mobile phones and medical devices were excluded from the ban.

The ban applied to nonstop flights to the US from 10 international airports serving the cities of Cairo in Egypt; Amman in Jordan; Kuwait City in Kuwait; Casablanca in Morocco; Doha in Qatar; and Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia apart from Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.

Britain quickly followed suit with a similar set of restrictions.

Last week, the US unveiled security measures for flights to the country designed to prevent the expansion of the ban to more countries that could cause major logistical problems and deter travel.