Dubai's Emirates, Turkish Airlines off US laptop ban list
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Emirates and Turkish Airways said on Wednesday they have also been exempted from a U.S. ban on laptops in airplane cabins, joining Etihad in satisfying American security concerns that had cut into the long-haul carriers' business.
Both airlines alerted the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees airplane safety in the United States, that "they are ready to comply with the enhanced security measures," said David Lapan, a Homeland Security spokesman in Washington.
"Protecting the American people and raising the global baseline on aviation security remains the top priority," Lapan said.
In May, U.S. President Donald Trump shared highly classified intelligence with senior Russian officials visiting the White House about the Islamic State group wanting to use laptops to target aircraft.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak welcomed the lifting of the ban at Istanbul's airport, saying the restrictions had targeted Muslim nations and amounted to a discrimination against them as potential "criminals."
[...] the security concerns also come amid a wider dispute between Gulf airlines and American carriers, which accuse the Middle East airlines of flooding the market with flights while receiving billions of dollars of unfair government subsidies.