In the coming days, carrying of electronic devices and laptops will be banned from flights directly going to the United States from the Middle East. The decision will also have an adverse effect on those travelling from India.
The move is also a setback for India, as many US-bound flights, who go from India have transit stop at Dubai, Doha. So, passengers carrying large electronic devices will have to keep them in their check-in baggage. Also, there will always be a risk of losing or misplacing those devices kept in the check-in baggage.
Last week, the US department of Homeland and Security banned carrying of all personal electronic devices larger than a cell phone or smartphone. Airports in the Middle East who will not be allowed to carry electronic devices are Amman (Jordan), Cairo (Egypt), Istanbul (Turkey), Jeddah and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait, Doha (Qatar), Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The ban has been put by the US government in a bid to stop terror activities. “The US government is concerned about terrorists’ ongoing interest in targeting commercial aviation. Airlines were notified on March 21st at 3:00 am. They have 96 hours within which to comply,” the US government stated.
Reacting to the ban put by US government, the president of Travel Agents’ Federation of India, Anil Punjabi said, “The restriction, first by the US and then by the UK, has scared travellers. They feel that if intelligence agencies believe that terror outfits may explode a bomb on a plane that originates from the Gulf, they should avoid it altogether.”
