Middle East airlines announce lifting of US ban on electronics!

Kuwait's Royal Airline and Jordan announced on Sunday that passengers could take laptops and electronic devices to the cabin on flights to the United States.

Royal Jordanian and Kuwait Airways are also joining Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, which last week lifted the ban. In March, the United States banned laptops and other large electronic devices on direct flights from 10 airports in eight countries - Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey - to avoid fears of hiding bombs in these devices.

Jordan Airways' flights to New York, Chicago and Detroit from Amman were lifted after new security measures were introduced on US flights, Jordanian Airways chief Stephan Becker said in a statement. Kuwait Airways, which flies from Kuwait to New York via Ireland, said the ban was lifted after US officials checked security on its flights.

US officials did not immediately respond to an e-mail request to comment on lifting the ban, which affects Jordanian and Kuwaiti carriers. The United States on June 29 announced enhanced security measures for flights to the country, requiring additional time to examine passengers and electronic devices. The US Department of Homeland Security said the new US measures, which will come into effect within three weeks of the announcement, will affect some 325,000 passengers a day traveling through 180 airlines from 280 airports around the world.

Airlines that fail to meet new security requirements may still face in-cabin restrictions when it comes to electronics. Saudi Arabian Airlines said it expected to lift the ban on flights from Jeddah and Riyadh by July 19. Morocco Airlines also believes a ban on flights from Mohamed V International Airport in Casablanca could be lifted by July 19, a Royal Moroccan Royal Airline official told Reuters on July 6.