EgyptAir Laptop Ban Lifted On US Flights

EgyptAir is the latest carrier to receive approval from the US Department of Homeland Security to allow passengers to travel with laptops in the aircraft cabin.

The airline said the ban was lifted on Wednesday July 12th on flights to New York. It added that EgyptAir flights to London are still subject to UK restrictions on cabin bags.

EgyptAir was one of nine airlines in a DHS directive preventing passengers flying to the US taking electronic devices larger than mobile phones in carry-on luggage. Other devices such as laptops and tablets were permitted only in checked baggage.

The ban included flights from ten airports to the United States. The airports on the DHS list are in Abu Dhabi, Amman, Cairo, Casablanca, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Kuwait, and Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

The airlines originally included in the ban were EgyptAir, Emirates, Etihad, Kuwait Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Turkish Airlines. No US carriers were affected as they don’t fly from any of the listed airports.

Of the original list, only Saudi Arabian Airlines and Royal Air Maroc still have the ban in place. RAM announced that its ban would end on Thursday July 13, and Saudia said it expects to have the ban lifted on July 19.