Flying from Dubai to US? You can't carry these banned items

In a bid to improve security, the US and UK governments are temporarily implementing new restrictions on carry-on electronic items, including tablets, iPads and cameras, on US-bound flights originating from several Middle Eastern countries, including the UAE.

Under the new regulations, the Department of Homeland Security will apply the restrictions on electronic items, excluding mobile phones and medical devices, from 10 airports: Cairo, Amman, Kuwait City, Casablanca, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Istanbul, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Items larger than a cellphone will have to be stowed away in checked-in luggage, according to an American official quoted by the Associated Press.

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US to ban electronic devices on Middle East flights?

The British security rules will affect flights from six countries and will bar passengers from taking "any phones, laptops or tablets larger than a normal sized mobile or smartphone", into the cabin.

The British rules will apply to flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

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Although the reason for the ban remains unclear, Reuters quoted an American official as saying it is due to an unspecified security concern, and CNN, citing an unidentified American official, reported that the electronics ban was related to intelligence collected on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Penninsula, the militant group's Yemen branch.

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According to an Emirates spokesperson, the new policy will come into effect on Saturday, March 25, and will continue for at least seven months.

"Emirates can confirm that as per the new security directive issued by the Transportation Security Administration, electronic devices larger than a cellphone/ smartphone, excluding medical devices, cannot be carried in the cabin of the aircraft," the spokesperson said. "The directive comes into effect on 25 March 2017 and is valid until 14 October 2017."

"It is applicable on all US-bound passengers from Dubai International Airport, whether originating or transiting through," the spokesperson added. "Emirates requests all passengers travelling to the US pack all electronic devices larger than a cellphone/ smartphone in their checked-in baggage."

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Similarly, an Etihad spokesperson noted that the airline has "been advised that guests travelling to the United States from Abu Dhabi International Airport are not permitted to carry electronic devices larger than a cellphone or smartphone in the cabin."

"Larger items, such as laptops, tablets, cameras and e-readers, will need to be placed into checked-in baggage," the spokesperson added. "For those guests bound for the US, this must be done at the point of origin, which may not necessarily be at Abu Dhabi."

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Other affected airlines, including Royal Jordanian and Saudia, took to their social media accounts to tell passengers about the restrictions.

Saj Ahmad, an analyst at the London-based Strategic AeroResearch, noted that the ban "flies in the face of an FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) directive banning lithium batteries in airplane cargo holds".

"This was driven in large part due to the 2010 crash of a UPS 747 freighter which caught fire due to these sorts of batteries on board," he said.

The reasons for the ban, Ahmad said, "are only something that the administration can answer".

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"They must have a reason or intelligence on a threat which has led to this decision," he added.

Additionally, Ahmad said that, because of the ban, "airlines will obviously encounter delays as check-in staff will have to educate passengers and get them to remove such devices and re-pack them".

"Some passengers will not want delicate electronic items going in the hold for fear of damage, and may even choose to abandon their flight plans altogether," he added.

bernd@khaleejtimes.com