On Tuesday, the Trump administration imposed a new restriction on carry-on electronics on airplanes which forbids those traveling from 10 specified airports in the Middle East and North Africa to bring anything larger than a cell phone. The Department of Homeland Security announced that passengers from those 10 airports could not fly into the United States with items such as tablets, laptops and cameras unless they were in checked baggage.
The new restrictions come as reports that Islamic militants in the region were looking to smuggle explosives in electronics.
Gillian Christensen, a DHS spokeswoman said the United States “did not target specific nations” and that they “relied upon evaluated intelligence to determine which airports were affected.”
The airports affected, which include some in countries such as Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, are served by nine airlines that fly directly into the United States at about 50 flights a day.
The list of carriers are: Royal Jordanian Airlines, Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways [KA.UL], Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways. All carriers have until Friday to comply with the new policy. No American airlines were affected as none fly directly into the United States from the airports affected.
The restriction is only placed on those flying into the United States on those airlines, not the passengers leaving the U.S.
On Tuesday, it was reported that the United Kingdom joined the United States in imposing the new restrictions, though the U.K. is imposing the ban on domestic flights as well.
[revad2]
