Dubai International Airport and its flag carrier Emirates yesterday began implementing a ban on laptops and tablets on direct flights to the US, on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
An estimated 1.1 million people are expected to pass through the busiest international airport as the city marks the United Arab Emirates’ spring break, Dubai Airports Co senior vice president for communications Anita Mehra said.
An estimated 260,000 travelers were expected to pass through each day from Friday through tomorrow. Dubai International Airport expects 89 million passengers this year.
The US announced a ban on all electronics larger than a standard smartphone on board direct flights out of eight countries across the middle East.
US officials would not specify how long the ban would last, but Dubai-based Emirates told reporters that it had been instructed to enforce it until at least Oct. 14.
Travelers using 10 airports across the Middle East and North Africa are subject to the ban.
The ban also covers all electronics sold at Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths told local radio earlier this week.
Government-owned Emirates operates 18 flights daily to the US out of Dubai.
In an attempt to appease its customers, the airline announced it would be offering complimentary packing and shipping services at gates to enable passengers to use their electronic devices after check-in and until boarding.
Adding to the complication yesterday, a number of flights out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi were delayed due to thunderstorms, including an Emirates flight to Houston, Texas.
The US ban affects nine airlines from eight countries: Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Britain also announced a parallel ban that went into effect yesterday, targeting all flights out of Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Lebanon.
Abu Dhabi, home to the United Arab Emirates’ national carrier, Etihad Airways, is one of the few international airports with a US Customs and Border Protection Facility, which processes immigration and customs inspections before departure.
“All Etihad Airways guests traveling to the United States clear US Immigration and Customs [Enforcement] at the US preclearance facility in Terminal 3, the only one of its kind in the Middle East,” a statement e-mailed to reporters said. “When guests land in the US, they arrive as domestic passengers with no requirement to queue for immigration checks again.”
Critics have said the bans target Muslim-majority countries. The US ban in particular has raised eyebrows for covering airports from which US airlines do not operate direct flights.
The US and Britain have cited intelligence indicating passenger jets could be targeted with explosives planted in such devices.
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