Emirates, Turkish Airlines say laptop ban lifted on US flights

The United States has lifted the in-cabin ban on laptops and other large electronic devices on US-bound flights from Dubai and Istanbul, Emirates and Turkish Airlines said today.

The announcements come three days after the ban was lifted on Etihad Airways’ flights to the United States from Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The ban on US flights from Dubai International, the world’s busiest airport for international travel, has been lifted after new security measures announced by the US last week were implemented, an Emirates spokeswoman said in a statement.

Read: US lifts laptop restriction for flights from Abu Dhabi

Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline and which flies to 12 US cities, had blamed travel restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration for a drop in demand on US flights.

The Dubai-based carrier cut flights to five US cities from May but had since said demand was starting to return on some routes.

Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines said in a statement that passengers travelling to the United States could now take their laptops onboard.

Emirates and Turkish Airlines are the only airlines that operate direct flights from Dubai and Istanbul, respectively, to the United States.

#LaptopBan

US transport officials will visit Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines today to check that the carriers have implemented the latest US security measures, a spokesman for the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said.

Turkish Airlines Chief Executive Bilal Eksi also tweeted that the airline expected similar restrictions on flights to Britain would soon be lifted.

“A technical team will come from Britain for an assessment within one week,” Turkey’s Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan told reporters in the capital Ankara. “I’m sure they will lift that ban. There is no reason for the ban to continue.”

The UK ban does not apply to flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.