2017 electronics ban


The 2017 electronics ban was an order issued by the United States government in March 2017 banning electronics beyond the size of a mobile phone on carry-on luggage for direct flights departing from 10 major airports in the Middle East and traveling to the United States, and requiring airlines to enforce this ban. The order was issued based on intelligence that the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was planning on using batteries and compartments of large electronic equipment to conceal explosives that are not detectable by current aviation security scanners. The US government has been accused by the International Air Transport Association of implementing the ban more of as a protectionist measure to shield major US airlines from increasing competition of major airlines from the Middle East than for security reasons. The United Kingdom has issued a similar ban but covers a different range of airports and airlines, including low-cost airlines. US officials lifted the ban in July 2017, citing improved airport security.

Background

According to an anonymous official quoted by The New York Times, Israeli hackers gathered intelligence from bombmakers in Syria. From this intelligence, the United States government believed that terrorists were trying to make explosives which resembled laptop batteries.
On 20 March 2017, Royal Jordanian tweeted that it was banning all electronics from being brought into the cabin. This tweet was later deleted. The next day, news surfaced that this action was part of a wider order by US officials implementing an electronics ban on airports and airlines flying out of Middle Eastern airports. Passengers were required to check in all electronic equipment bigger than a mobile phone. Flights that do not fly directly to the United States were not affected by the ban. US intelligence officials justified the order in reference to the risk that the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was developing explosives that would bypass scanners and metal detectors. Airlines were given until 24 March to implement the ban.

Controversy

The ban has been controversial for two reasons. Firstly, the selective nature of the electronics ban has led to accusations by the International Air Transport Association and media commentators from the Sydney Morning Herald, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg and Straits Times that this was more of a veiled attempt to protectionist measure to shield major US airlines from increasing competition of major airlines from the Middle East than for security reasons. The ban especially affected business travelers, who are unable to work during the flight and may be required by their companies to hold onto their equipment which otherwise may be at risk of getting stolen, damage, or hacked if they were to be checked in. Many of these travelers would rather travel through an airline not affected by the ban.
Secondly, there was a risk that putting electronics containing lithium batteries together in the cargo hold significantly increases the risk of fire, posing a safety risk to its passengers. Earlier, some airlines have banned batteries from being checked into the cargo hold after UPS Airlines Flight 6 crashed due to an uncontained fire caused by lithium batteries.
Screening security at American airports has also been questioned, with suggestions that some American airports should also force passengers to put laptops and other electronics in the airplane hold until security at these airports improves.

Reaction

Airlines

The electronics ban originally applied to ten airports served by eight Middle Eastern airlines and one Turkish airline. On 2 July 2017, the ban was lifted from Etihad Airways flights from Abu Dhabi International Airport to the US. Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Royal Jordanian, Egyptair, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, and Saudia soon followed suit and the bans were lifted on them. No airports are currently subject to the US electronics ban.

Gradual lifting of the ban

Beginning July 2017, the United States introduced new security guidelines that was extended to all 105 countries. In addition, the United States also began to lift the existing ban on Middle Eastern airlines which it found was compliant with the new security guidelines.