UK bans electronic devices on flights from Turkey, Egypt, Saudi and others
The British government has banned the use of electronic devices larger than smartphones on flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia to the UK, following the lead set by the US.
New regulations were brought in by the US transport safety administration on Monday, with tablet computers such as iPads and Kindles as well as laptops banned from being carried into the cabin of flights from several airports.
The UK said all inbound direct flights to the UK from the aforementioned countries would be the only ones affected by the ban.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s government decided to follow suit after consultations with US intelligence officials, releasing a statement on Tuesday afternoon.
The ban would force passengers flying from the affected countries to check in their devices before flying, but would not include smartphones, only affecting laptops and tablets which are longer than 16.0cm, wider than 9.3cm and with a depth of more than 1.5cm - clarifying that the ban was to prevent large phones, all laptops and all tablets and e-readers from being taken into the cabin, even if bought in duty-free.
"The additional security measures may cause some disruption for passengers and flights, and we understand the frustration that will cause, but our top priority will always be to maintain the safety of British nationals," the Department for Transport statement said.
The DoT would not comment on whether the measures were being introduced due to a specific threat and said it was not stopping direct flights to and from the countries mentioned, but recommended anyone with imminent travel plans should contact their airline for further information.
On Monday the US government said it was introducing the measures as it was "concerned about terrorists’ ongoing interest in targeting commercial aviation, including transportation hubs over the past two years", citing airline incidents in Egypt in 2015; Somalia in 2016; and armed attacks in 2016 at airports in Brussels and Istanbul.
"Evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation, to include smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items."