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UK following US in banning electronic devices on board certain flights

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Wed, 22 Mar 2017, 6:41AM
(Getty Images).

UK following US in banning electronic devices on board certain flights

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Wed, 22 Mar 2017, 6:41AM

The UK government's followed through on rumours it'd join the US in banning the likes of iPads and laptops from some flights.

LISTEN ABOVE: US correspondent Richard Arnold speaks with Mike Hosking

The UK ban affects cabin luggage on planes flying in from six countries - Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

It's supposed to still allow mobile phones but big ones like the iPhone 7 Plus won't be allowed.

Sky's Alistair Bunkall said full details of the ban is not yet known.

"We don't know much about the UK version. Whether or not it would apply to the same countries that the US have targeted, if you like, whether it will have exactly the same restrictions on electronic devices.

"You won't be allowed to take [the devices] on board certain aircraft, leaving certain destinations. So it's not a blanket ban and it doesn't apply to mobile phones."

Bunkall said the UK government's been thinking about it for some time.

"It's not like UK and US intelligence have a particular threat that they're trying to counter. It's more that, generally speaking, aviation remains a threat from terrorists."

The US ban affects flights from 10 airports in mainly Muslim-majority countries including Kuwait, Qatar, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

It's in response to unspecified terrorism threats.

CNN's Muhamma Lila is in Dubai, one of the affected airports.

He said the US ban is going to mean confusion at check-ins, and lost productivity.

"Other airports affected include Istanbul, Amman, Jeddah and Doha so we're talking about thousands of people on these flights that are flying to the United States every day."

And he said it's not clear how long the new rules are going to last.

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