The United States has removed the ban on laptops in cabins on flights from Abu Dhabi to the United States. It, however said that the Etihad Airways flights from UAE should put in place required tighter security measures.
Etihad Airways, which is the only airline to operate direct flights from Abu Dhabi to the US welcomed the decision. It credited a pre-clearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport where passengers clear U.S. immigration before they land in the United States for “superior security advantages” that had allowed it to satisfy U.S. requirements.
In March 2017, the U.S. banned the carry of laptops and other electronic gadgets in cabin on the flights to the U.S. operating from ten airports – Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey. Britain was the first to follow suit with the similar set of rules on cabin electronics.
The U.S. revealed its standards of security measures for flights to the country designed to prevent the expansion of the ban to more countries that could deter travel and cause major logistical problems.
