Etihad Airways says electronics ban lifted on flights to US

Passengers traveling from Abu Dhabi International Airport to the United States will no longer face a ban on carrying electronics onboard, after the introduction of tighter security measures, Etihad Airways said in a statement on Sunday.

The ban on laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices will be lifted immediately, following a decision by the US Department of Homeland Security.

The American government last week announced broad new demands to increase security on US-bound flights, in order to tackle the threat of bombs carried in portable electronic devices.

Abu Dhabi is the first airport to satisfy the new requirements, which will apply to 180 airlines and 280 airports worldwide.

Etihad passengers traveling to the US clear American immigration and customs at Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Terminal 3, and are not required to queue for immigration and custom checks again in the US.

The carrier runs 45 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and six cities in the US.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump’s administration imposed a ban on carrying several electronic devices, including laptops, in carry-on luggage on flights coming in from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and at least six other countries in the Middle East.

The move was seen as likely to force business travelers that would have picked Gulf carriers in the past to choose American airlines in order to be able to use their electronic devices.