UK joins US in banning electronic devices on board planes from Mideast
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region —The United Kingdom has joined the US in banning electronics such as laptops, tablets and certain other devices by passengers on board airplanes from a number of Middle Eastern and North African countries, citing concerns about terrorist attacks.
“We have reason to be concerned about attempts by terrorist groups to circumvent aviation security and terrorist groups continue to target aviation interests. Implementing additional security measures enhances our ability to mitigate further attempts against the overseas aviation industry,” the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced in a statement on Tuesday.
The US ban applies to nonstop US-bound flights from 10 international airports in Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. About 50 flights a day, all on foreign airlines, are affected.
“The new procedures remain in place until the threat changes,” the TSA statement read.
The UK ban, issued after the US directive, applies to direct flights to the UK from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, according to Downing Street.
"We understand the frustration that these measures may cause and we are working with the aviation industry to minimise any impact,” said Chris Grayling, the UK’s transport secretary.
There currently are no direct commercial flights from the Kurdistan Region or from Iraq to the United States or to the United Kingdom; however, travelers originating from those places would be impacted by the ban via connecting flights.
The TSA is a sub-agency of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a cabinet-level ministry that was formed to increase coordination among US intelligence agencies after the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Canada’s Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he had spoken with DHS Secretary John Kelly, but Canadian agencies were continuing to evaluate intelligence. It hadn’t announced any such ban as of Tuesday night.
“He made us aware of a situation that we are analyzing very carefully. We will have a fulsome discussion within government and look at the information that has been presented to us and then we will make a decision,” Garneau said.
“We have reason to be concerned about attempts by terrorist groups to circumvent aviation security and terrorist groups continue to target aviation interests. Implementing additional security measures enhances our ability to mitigate further attempts against the overseas aviation industry,” the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced in a statement on Tuesday.
The US ban applies to nonstop US-bound flights from 10 international airports in Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. About 50 flights a day, all on foreign airlines, are affected.
“The new procedures remain in place until the threat changes,” the TSA statement read.
The UK ban, issued after the US directive, applies to direct flights to the UK from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, according to Downing Street.
"We understand the frustration that these measures may cause and we are working with the aviation industry to minimise any impact,” said Chris Grayling, the UK’s transport secretary.
There currently are no direct commercial flights from the Kurdistan Region or from Iraq to the United States or to the United Kingdom; however, travelers originating from those places would be impacted by the ban via connecting flights.
The TSA is a sub-agency of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a cabinet-level ministry that was formed to increase coordination among US intelligence agencies after the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Canada’s Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he had spoken with DHS Secretary John Kelly, but Canadian agencies were continuing to evaluate intelligence. It hadn’t announced any such ban as of Tuesday night.
“He made us aware of a situation that we are analyzing very carefully. We will have a fulsome discussion within government and look at the information that has been presented to us and then we will make a decision,” Garneau said.