Laptop ban on flights 'ineffective for keeping passengers safe'

A ban on electronics in hand luggage on some flight routes into the UK and US is ineffective and damaging, a trade association for commercial airlines warned.

Alexandre de Juniac, chief executive of the International Air Transport Association, said the restrictions were "not an acceptable long-term solution" to the challenge of keeping passengers safe.

Speaking to the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, he also outlined several weaknesses in the ban, including the inclusion of different airports in the lists.

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How could laptops be "secure in the cabin on some flights and not others… especially on flights originating at a common airport?" he asked.

"Surely there must be a way to screen electronic equipment effectively at airport checkpoints?"

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced the new restrictions last week, saying they were based on intelligence reports, although he did not go into specific details. The regulations apply on inbound flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tunisia. The US also imposed similar measures on different airports and airlines.

Under the restrictions, large electronic items such as tablets and laptops can no longer be taken on board as hand luggage on the affected routes and must be stowed in the hold as checked baggage.

The rules applies to all devices larger than 6.3in x 3.7in (16cm x 9.3cm) with a depth of more than 0.6in (1.5cm).

The tightened regulations "were prompted by reports that militant groups want to smuggle explosive devices in electronic gadgets", the BBC reports.

Electronics ban: What we know about UK flight rules

22 March

The UK has followed the US in issuing new travel rules banning travellers flying from certain airports in the Middle East and Africa from carrying laptops, tablets, e-readers and large smartphones in their luggage.

So what are the new rules – and why are they necessary?

What does the UK ban cover?

All inbound flights to the UK from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tunisia are affected for the indefinite future, while the UK carriers hit are British Airways, easyJet, Jet2.com, Monarch, Thomson and Thomas Cook. The foreign carriers are Atlas-Global, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Middle East Airlines, EgyptAir, Royal Jordanian, Tunis Air and Saudia.

Over the next year, the ban will affect "15,432 departures on 53 routes," says Quartz.

The UK restrictions do not cover four countries included in the US ban: United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Morocco and Qatar.

The ban means passengers on these routes will no longer be able to take electronic devices bigger than an average smartphone on to the plane. Devices larger than 6.3in x 3.7in (16cm x 9.3cm) with a depth of more than 0.6in (1.5cm) will need to be checked into hold luggage.

Why has the ban been introduced?

There have been recent incidents of terrorists using electronic devices to smuggle explosives on to planes.

In February 2016, an explosion ripped a hole in the side of a passenger plane minutes after it took off from Mogadishu, in Somalia. CCTV footage from the airport showed the suspected attacker preparing to board the plane carrying a laptop.

The plane made a safe emergency landing and the bomber was the only one killed. The attack was claimed by Islamist terror group Al-Shabaab.

The bomb had been disguised to look like a computer battery and must have been capable of powering the device if tested by airport security, The Times reports.

However, all known laptop bombs "have had to be activated by the terrorist by turning the device on", says the Times.

Will the ban make passengers safer?

While some in Whitehall "fear this may be an over-reaction", says BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, the ban is a response to "mounting concern in US and British intelligence circles" about the ongoing risk of attacks targeting passenger planes.

However, the tightened measures contain loopholes large enough for a determined terrorist to exploit, reports Slate's Joshua Keating "Why couldn't someone plotting such an attack simply take a connecting flight through another airport?" he writes.

What is the impact for passengers?

Passengers who previously took advantage of cheaper fares allowing hand luggage only will now have to pay to check a bag in if they are carrying larger electronic devices.

Simon Calder, travel editor at the Independent, told the BBC this would affect about 1,000 UK-bound passengers who use Turkish Airlines every day and were routed via Istanbul from long-haul destinations.

UK follows US with ban on electronic devices on flights from Middle East

21 March

The UK will follow the US in banning passengers from certain airports from carrying electronic devices, it was revealed today.

No large electronic device, including laptops, tablets, cameras and DVD players, will be allowed, although mobile phones will be permitted.

Security sources told the Daily Telegraph the ban is based on the same intelligence received by the US.

Donald Trump's administration yesterday announced their version involved US-bound flights from eight Muslim-majority countries.

The ban, which is said to be indefinite and affect non-stop flights, is expected to affect nine airlines operating out of ten airports in the Middle East and North Africa, reports the BBC. No US airline will be affected.

According to the Associated Press, the countries include Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Royal Jordanian Airlines said it will affect flights they provide to New York, Chicago and Detroit.

Officials in the US have not commented on the reason for the ban, but local media reports it was sparked by intelligence gathered overseas, says the BBC.

Aviation consultant Trevor Jensen told Al Jazeera: "I hope that we are not just knee-jerking here and that this is a credible threat; that the safety issues have also been very carefully thought through."

He also questioned why only a number of airports had been included, saying it is possible for someone to fly to the US from Doha via Zurich.

The new regulation comes a week after a legal challenge was raised against President Trump's second attempt at a travel ban on passengers from several Muslim-majority nations.