The proposed ban on tablets and notebooks from cabin baggage on flights between Europe and the USA have reportedly been shelved …
The ban, which proposed preventing electronic devices larger than a smartphone on inbound flights to the USA from 10 airports located mostly in the Middle East and Northern Africa was offered in response to intelligence from terrorist threats.
It was later suggested that the ban might be extended to flights from the UK and other European countries, with a further report earlier this month suggesting that the idea was ‘under active consideration.’
Per the BBC, the ban may not be extended.
US and EU officials have decided against a ban on laptops and tablets in cabin baggage on flights from Europe. But after a four-hour meeting in Brussels to discuss the threats to aviation security, officials said other measures were still being considered.
The decision caused some relief among aviation experts, who stated that a plethora of devices with lithium batteries would need to be stored in the plane’s cargo hold, where an undetected fire could have broken out.
Steve Landells, a safety expert at the British Airline Pilots Association, offered the following comment:
“Given the risk of fire from these devices when they are damaged or they short circuit, an incident in the cabin would be spotted earlier and this would enable the crew to react quickly before any fire becomes uncontainable,” he said.
“If these devices are kept in the hold, the risk is that if a fire occurs the results can be catastrophic; indeed, there have been two crashes where lithium batteries have been cited in the accident reports.”
It’s presently unknown as to what additional security measures or screenings may be implemented in lieu of the extended ban.