‘Laptop ban on European flights seems to apply to only a few countries’
US government officials have said President Donald Trump’s administration is likely to extend the ban on carrying laptops in airplane cabins to only a few European countries and not the entire continent.
It is still unclear when the possible extension of the ban will be implemented and which European countries it concerns exactly. Government officials who have been notified of the plans say the US government is still looking at laptops and other electronics that must be checked in, and landed in the hold once the ban goes into effect. Lithium batteries in the electronics could explode in the luggage compartment.
According to Reuters, six unnamed US and European officials expect the US Department of Homeland Security to announce the extension of the ban soon, but they declined to say exactly when. According to airline industry sources, airports and airlines in Europe have already made plans for the possible extension of the ban. It is not clear which companies and airports are involved here.
United States Department of Homeland Security officials have confirmed consultations with U.S. airline industry officials on security issues are taking place on Thursday. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly will also hold a private meeting with senators, likely to discuss extending the laptop ban. Kelly has not made a final decision yet, a spokesperson said.
In March, US authorities banned carrying laptops and electronics larger than cell phones in the cabin of passenger planes. This ban was imposed on flights from ten airports located in countries whose inhabitants are predominantly Muslim. This concerns airports in the countries of Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The US government has imposed the ban because the government suspects that otherwise terrorists could smuggle bombs in electronics on board.
On Tuesday, sources within the US Department of Homeland Security said the government may make a decision in the next few weeks about extending the ban on flights to the US from European airports. Members of the US government have held weekly meetings with US airlines, according to the sources. They may also have to deal with the possible extension of the ban. Under the current ban that has been imposed on ten airports in the aforementioned predominantly Arab countries, US airlines are not affected because they do not fly from the airports concerned.
Peter Goelz, a former director of the US NTSB, has said the check-in requirement for a large number of electronic products using lithium batteries will pose a major logistical problem for airlines. According to him, it is very difficult to determine whether a particular object is a battery or a plastic explosive.