U.S. Lifts Laptop Ban For Remaining Foreign Airlines, Final Airport Exemption Expected This Week Image courtesy of (David Transier)
A week after it was rumored that the Department of Homeland Security would likely lift its ban on laptops and other personal electronics put in place in March from the few airlines that remained subject to the policy, that time has come.
The Transportation Security Administration lifted the in-cabin laptop ban from Saudi Arabian Airlines and its main hub of King Abdulaziz International Airport.
According to the TSA, the only airport still affected by the ban is King Khalid International Airport.
However, a rep for the agency tells Reuters that the airport will be visited later this week to confirm compliance is met. At that time, the ban will be fully lifted.
The March laptop ban has slowly been lifted from all nine carriers originally affected by the policy, as airlines and airports have implemented new “enhanced” security measures over the past several weeks.
The near end of the laptop ban comes a month after DHS announced that airports around the world could be subject to a carry-on electronics ban for U.S.-bound flights if they fall afoul of new security standards designed to raise “the global baseline of global aviation security.”
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