Ban On Gadgets Lifted For Emirates, Turkish Airlines Flights To US

Emirates and Turkish Airlines on Wednesday announced that the cabin ban on electronic items no longer applied on their flights to the US."Effective immediately, the electronics ban has been lifted for the Emirates' flights from Dubai International Airport to the USA," the airlines said.

The Dubai-based carrier added that it had been working hard "to implement heightened security measures and protocols that meet the requirements of the US Department of Homeland Security's new guidelines for all US-bound flights".

The US laid out new rules last week to step up the security measures on flights entering the country. The measures include an enhanced screening of passengers and electronic devices.

The Turkish Airlines said, "If you are travelling to the US from Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, you can carry all your electronic devices on board."

The announcement by the two carriers follows Abu Dhabi-based Etihad being exempted from the ban by the US authorities earlier this week.

Etihad was able to avoid the ban due to additional checks introduced at the Abu Dhabi airport. These entail clearing immigration and customs formalities of the passengers before they take off for the US.

"You arrive at the US as a domestic passenger and there is no need for immigration checks again," the airline said on its website.

In March, the US government imposed restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on the flights coming to the country from 10 airports in Muslim-majority countries in the Middle-East and North Africa. The ban affected nine airlines.