Under Trump administration, US authorities have asked airlines from up to 13 different countries to ban passengers from carrying electronic devices larger than a mobile phone when on board the aircraft.
This new move comes from the US in an attempt to tighten security – a key part of the President’s policy during the election process. This news comes a week after the administration revised the temporary travel ban from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
The new ban will include iPads, laptops and kindles, which must be checked and put in hold luggage.
Airlines from the different nations were sent an email on Monday and given 96 hours to enforce it. According to Jordanian airlines, flights to and from the US will be affected.
News of the electronics ban first came to light following a tweet from Royal Jordanian, which was deleted a few hours after being posted.
“Following instructions from the concerned US departments, we kindly inform our dearest passengers departing to and arriving from the United States that carrying any electronic or electrical device on board the flight cabins is strictly prohibited.” the tweet read.
A formal list of the airlines affected has not yet been released, but from what can be gathered, it would apply to the following ten airports in the eight following countries:
- Queen Alia International, Amman, Jordan
- Cairo International Airport, Egypt
- Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey
- King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- King Khalid International, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Kuwait International Airport
- Mohammed V International, Casablanca, Morocco
- Hamad International, Doha, Qatar
- Dubai International, United Arab Emirates
- Abu Dhabi International, United Arab Emirates
In the mean time, passengers from these countries are being asked by the US government to trust the new rules and trust that it is vital for their own safety.
Officials have said the ban had no end date. AP reported that airlines would not be officially informed of the ban until 03:00 ET (07:00 GMT) on Tuesday.