As you might have heard, the US has banned some flights flying in from certain Middle Eastern countries from allowing passengers to bring large electronics on board, such as tablets and laptops. Specific reasons for the ban were not offered, but in the past we have heard reports of how bombs have been hidden in tablets and laptops, so that’s probably why.However it seems that at least one region has since been exempted, and that is Abu Dhabi where flights out of the region’s airport flying to the US will no longer have their electronics banned. According to a report from AP, it seems that Abu Dhabi will be the first city to be exempt from the US ban.
As to why Abu Dhabi was given the exception, Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said that this was because security measures at the Abu Dhabi airport have been implemented “correctly” and “to the full extent required”. Lapan was quoted as saying, “The enhanced security measures, both seen and unseen, include enhanced screening of passengers and electronic devices. We commend Etihad for working swiftly to implement these additional measures. Their efforts are a model for both foreign and domestic airlines.”
Note that this doesn’t mean that the ban will be letting up anytime soon, but perhaps if more countries were to implement these supposed more stringent screening methods, perhaps they could be exempted as well.