Flights from the Middle East to the U.S. are about to get a lot more boring.
People traveling to the U.S. from 10 airports in eight majority-Muslim countries are now barred from bringing electronic devices larger than a cellphone with them onto an airplane, according to The New York Times. Passengers instead will be required to check in these devices with their airlines, as they would with a bag too large to carry on.
The new restriction, enacted Tuesday morning by the Trump administration, affects devices including laptops, tablets, cameras and portable gaming systems, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, via The Times.
It reportedly must be followed within 96 hours by any foreign airline flying out of airports in Amman, Jordan; Cairo; Istanbul; Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia; Kuwait City; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
News of the ban first broke after Royal Jordanian, a state-run airline from the Hashemite Kingdom, announced the restrictions in a tweet Monday that has since been deleted.
In a briefing Monday, officials said the rules are designed to address gaps in foreign airport security, and are not a response to any imminent terror threat, according to The Times. Officials did say, however, the device ban is based on intelligence reports indicating some extremist groups have interest in attacking American aviation targets.
The restrictions reportedly will affect roughly 50 flights traveling into the U.S. each day.
Thumbnail photo via Pexels
