US laptop ban lifted on Emirates and Turkish Airlines

Emirates has said the cabin ban on laptops no longer applies on its flights to the United States.

In March, the US banned laptops and other large electronic devices to and from eight mostly Muslim nations, fearing bombs may be concealed in them.

Emirates, which flies to the US from its Dubai hub, said it had worked with US authorities to meet new security guidelines.

Turkish Airlines also expects the ban to be lifted on its US flights.

The move comes after US Homeland Security announced new measures last week to enhance security on flights entering the country.

An Emirates spokeswoman said: "Effective immediately, the electronics ban has been lifted for Emirates' flights from Dubai International Airport to the USA."

The airline, which flies to 12 US cities from Dubai, thanked customers for "their understanding and patience during the last few months".
Airport security

Emirates and other airlines expressed hope last week that the new guidelines would pave the way for the lifting of the electronics ban.

The measures include enhanced screening, more thorough vetting of passengers and the wider use of bomb-sniffer dogs in 105 countries.

On Sunday, US authorities lifted the electronics ban for Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi to the US, saying the airline and airport had put in place required tighter security checks.

Turkish Airlines, the country's flagship carrier, said on Twitter that all electronic devices would be allowed on its US flights from Wednesday.

According to reports in Turkish media, US and UK officials visited Turkey's main international airport in Istanbul on Tuesday.

Turkey has recently started using sophisticated tomography imaging devices for X-ray and ultrasound screening at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport.

Under the March rules, devices "larger than a smartphone" were not allowed in the cabins of flights from Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The UK imposed similar rules to the US, but applied them to different countries.

The boss of Turkish Airlines has suggested he expects the UK to lift the ban for his airline soon as well.

In March, the UK government said devices larger than 16.0cm x 9.3cm x 1.5cm would not be allowed on direct flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.