UAE passengers hit by electronic devices ban on flights to US

ABU DHABI, NEW YORK // The UK followed much of the US ban on large electronic devices in cabins of inbound flights, but unlike the US action has not included the UAE in its list of affected countries. Phones, laptops and tablets larger than 16 centimetres by 9.3cm by 1.5cm are not allowed in the cabin on flights to the UK from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tunisia. Chris Grayling, the British transport secretary, said the decision followed a similar US ban and “we have been in close contact with them to fully understand their position”. Unlike the US, the UK decision does not apply to UAE flights. The US announced its ban on the devices for US-bound flights, which will come into effect on Saturday, amid warnings that the move would cause chaos at check-in desks and confusion for passengers. The US department of homeland security (DHS) on Tuesday said for passengers travelling from 10 airports in the Middle East, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, that all devices larger than a mobile phone would no longer be allowed in the cabin. Laptops, tablets, games consoles and portable DVD players will have to be checked in. The Trump administration issued the emergency directive at 3am New York time to carriers that serve the US from the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Morocco, in response to unspecified terror threats. The DHS also said it “selected these airports based on the current threat picture”, without elaborating. The ban will affect about 50 flights from the Middle East every day. US administration officials said the new rule was based on “evaluated intelligence”, but that the decision had nothing to do with president Donald Trump’s efforts to impose a travel ban on passengers from six majority-Muslim nations. The ban coincides with attempts by United, Delta and American airlines to have the government stem access to the US for Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar airlines, claiming the latter three benefit from state aid. The airlines vigorously deny the claim. None of the US carriers fly from the 10 hubs listed. Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar and Turkish airlines have most to lose. The four Middle East operators rely on transfer passengers who may need access to devices for business use and could easily travel via European hubs, Bloomberg reported. Emirates airline said it was informed the ban would come into force on Saturday, March 25, and would run until October 14, although the DHS described the ban as indefinite. “It is applicable to all US-bound passengers from Dubai International Airport, whether originating or transiting through,” an Emirates spokeswoman said in a statement. Aviation analyst Mark Martin, from Dubai, said the ban was particularly troubling for business travellers. “Nobody will be willing to part from their laptop or tablet on a long-haul flight, especially if you’ve got sensitive data,” he said. “But if you want to go the US you have to comply with the laws.” Daniel Benjamin, who served as co-ordinator for counterterrorism at the US state department under secretary of state Hillary Clinton, said Al Qaeda had some “extremely innovative” bomb makers and it would not be suprising to see ISIL attempting to “make a mark with an attack on aviation as well”. “I don’t understand why only some carriers have been singled out, but I can imagine some scenarios in which these restrictions might make sense,” he said. “In the unlikely case that there were factors that didn’t have to do with security in this order, I’d be pretty confident that will come out.” Aviation expert Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, said there would probably be teething problems as passengers at busy hubs such as Dubai adapt to the new rules. “Airlines will obviously encounter delays as check-in staff will have to educate passengers, get them to remove such devices and re-pack them,” he said. “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. “The real challenge will be to determine why it does not apply to European, Asian or Latin American carriers – there seems to be a great degree of application inconsistency.” The steps are likely to have limited success in curbing the terrorist threat since people will still be able to fly from the Middle East via hubs such as Frankfurt, where there are no limits on in-cabin devices, to target US services, Mr Martin said. “When it comes to aviation, there’s a very thin line between paranoia and precaution,” he said. In a question-and-answer page on the DHS website, the department made reference to the attempted downing of a Daallo Airlines flight in February last year over Somalia. Al Shabab took responsibility for the plot to blow a hole in the fuselage with a bomb hidden in a laptop. Hamad Salem Al Muhairi, assistant director general of the Aviation Security Affairs Sector at the GCAA, said: “We can’t call it a surprise, as normally whenever there is new intelligence that suggests there could be a threat others have the right to increase their security measures. “This usually happens from the US or UK, or even from the UAE sometimes. It is a normal process on how to react to that threat. “The US has the right to increase certain security measures until that threat has gone. “I am waiting on my team to collect all of the information on how this could affect cabin crew. The operator of airlines must inform passengers to remove all loose devices bigger than a cell phone. “Normally, when we try to implement any new security measures there are issues to resolve, that is to be expected.” The move comes at a time when the big US legacy airlines are hoping that Mr Trump’s populist approach to protecting American jobs would help them in fighting off growing competition from foreign airlines. On Friday, a coalition including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and industry unions launched an advertising campaign asking the Trump administration to take action against Emirates, Etihad and Qatar airlines. The Partnership for Open and Fair Skies claims American jobs are threatened by airlines based in Qatar and the UAE which they allege are breaching Open Skies agreements by receiving government subsidies. Jill Zuckman, the group’s chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, said: “There are 1.2 million quality American jobs that are being threatened every day by Emirates, Etihad and Qatar airlines. We are respectfully looking to President Trump and his administration for help.” The blitz included newspaper adverts ran in The New York Times and The New York Post – both of which are read by Mr Trump – and a six-figure TV campaign. David Lapan, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said denied any connection. “This is completely unrelated,” he said. “This has been in the works for months.” nwebster@thenational.ae mmannan@thenational.ae * with input from wires

UAE passengers hit by electronic devices ban on flights to US

Ten airports in the Middle East affected by US ban on laptops, tablets and other gadgets, which must now be checked in.