As is often the case, the movement started in the United States and spread - very quickly - across the Atlantic... On 21 March, the Department of Homeland Security (Department of Homeland Security(DHS) has officially banned electronic devices larger than a smartphone from aircraft cabins. To be more precise, the US authorities are targeting eight countries, nine airlines and ten airports. This includes flights from Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. This measure, which is part of the fight against terrorism, has a direct and explicit impact on the Gulf giants - Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways - and Turkish Airlines. These ten airlines have 96 hours to comply with the new regulations.
To achieve this, the carriers concerned will have to require their passengers to check in their electronic devices in the hold, whether they are laptops, tablets or cameras. But the convergence of the different formats, with the emergence of phablets, is likely to make the distinction imposed by the US authorities subtle, and thus make it difficult to identify the devices that are really affected.
Business travellers, who are invaluable to these carriers, are therefore particularly affected by this measure, and it remains to be seen whether it will be made permanent or even introduced across the board. " These measures will be effective indefinitely "warns the Department of Homeland Security, adding that ". depending on the evolution of the threat, the security rules imposed by the TSA [Transport Security Administration] will also change" . It remains to be seen whether other countries, such as France, will follow in the footsteps of the American and British authorities.
This " electronics ban "This is a cold shower for the hauliers concerned, who just a few days ago unveiled their latest products at ITB Berlin. Qatar Airways presented its new QSuite conceptThis will ban laptops from business travellers. Frustrating, given that most airlines now offer in-flight wi-fi. Indirectly, the measure could also weigh on the competitive balance between American carriers and Gulf companies, at a time when the question of the right to wi-fi has been raised. the question of open sky in the United States.
List of airports affected by the US ban :
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However, Qatar is not on the blacklist published by the British authorities. Across the Channel, the ban concerns "only" six countries: Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It is also accompanied by precise figures for the equipment banned. Mobile phones may also be refused if they exceed the following dimensions: 16 cm long, 9.3 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick.
