US To Introduce Electronics Ban On Some Flights

The United States government will ban passengers on US-bound flights from airports in 10 Middle East and North African countries from carrying electronic devices larger than a mobile phone in the aircraft cabin.

The ban is for flights from airports in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Passengers from the countries on the list will have to put their electronic devices in hold luggage and check it in. Delays at check-in and during passenger security screening are expected as the ban is introduced.

A tweet by Royal Jordanian Airlines on Monday warned passengers that from Tuesday March 21, carrying “electronic or electrical device on board the flight cabins is strictly prohibited.”

Royal Jordanian later deleted the tweet and replaced it with a holding message: “Further updates will be announced soon #electronicsban.”

Saudi Arabian Airlines has also indicated it is on the list of affected airlines.

American citizens flying on airlines included in the ban will have to comply with the regulation, but US carriers are not included as they have no direct flights from the affected countries to the United States.

The ban follows a second executive order to ban travel to the US by citizens of several majority-Muslim countries.