The US government is temporarily barring passengers on certain flights originating in eight countries from bringing laptops, iPads, cameras and most other electronics in carry-on luggage. The ban was revealed in statements from Royal Jordanian Airlines and the official news agency of Saudi Arabia. A US official said the ban will apply to nonstop flights to the US from 10 international airports serving the cities of Cairo in Egypt; Amman in Jordan; Kuwait City in Kuwait; Casablanca in Morocco; Doha in Qatar; Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia; Istanbul in Turkey; and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
The reason for the ban was not immediately clear. US security officials would not comment. The ban was indefinite, said the official. A second US official said the ban will affect nine airlines in total.
Royal Jordanian said cellphones and medical devices were excluded from the ban. Everything else, the airline said, would need to be packed in checked luggage. Royal Jordanian said the electronics ban affects its flights to New York, Chicago, Detroit and Montreal.
A US government official said such a ban has been considered for several weeks. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly phoned lawmakers over the weekend to brief them on aviation security issues that have prompted the impending electronics ban, according a congressional aide briefed on the discussion.
