Britain lifts laptop ban for some flights from Turkey

LONDON: Britain on Friday lifted a ban on personal electronic devices for flights from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport but will keep restrictions for Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and other Turkish hubs.

Britain’s transport ministry said passengers would be allowed to carrying large phones, laptops and tablets in the cabin on all UK-bound flights from the airport. The ban "will be lifted on a case-by-case basis once the UK government has verified that airlines have put in place alternative security measures, and that it is safe and proportionate to do so," it said.

Turkish Airlines reacted to the news in a tweet saying: "Now you can enjoy your electronic devices in the flights to the United Kingdom. Have fun!" But the restrictions remain in place for Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey’s biggest airport, as well as the Mediterranean coastal cities of Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman and Izmir, which are popular with tourists.

The United States instituted the laptop ban in March for eight North African and Middle East countries based on intelligence that the Islamic State group was working to build a bomb into a tablet or laptop.

For the same reason, Britain followed suit and banned similar-sized electronics from being carried into cabins on direct flights from six countries. The United States has since lifted all its restrictions saying airlines had raised their security standards.