Laptop Ban on Planes Is Lifted, U.S. Officials Confirm
Passengers flying into the United States from airports in 10 Muslim-majority countries affected by the ban may now take their laptops
and other large electronic devices into the cabin with them, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Thursday.
Instead of carrying out that broader ban, John F. Kelly, the Homeland Security secretary, announced last month
that there would be new security standards for carriers flying into the United States.
It affected specific airlines that use the airports in those countries as hubs, including Qatar
Airways, which dominates the airport in Doha, and Emirates Airlines, which is based in Dubai
The ban originally applied to airports in Amman, Jordan; Cairo; Istanbul; Jidda
and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia; Kuwait City; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
But the airlines and airports affected by the ban have all complied with the initial phase of the
new Homeland Security standards, allowing the prohibition to be lifted, the department said.
The ban on portable devices created a headache for carriers flying into the United States from the affected airports.
