Saudi national carrier says laptop ban on U.S. flights ended

[July 19, 2017]  KHOBAR (Reuters) - A ban on laptops and other large electronic devices from the cabins of direct flights to the United States from Saudi Arabia has been lifted, Saudi Arabian Airlines said on Wednesday.

In March, U.S. officials imposed restrictions on passengers carrying laptops and other large electronic gear in cabins on nine airlines, most of which were Middle Eastern carriers, to address the potential threat of hidden explosives.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has inspected and cleared flights from Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport from the ban, the state-owned carrier, also known as Saudia, said in statement on its website.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it had cleared Saudia's main hub King Abdulaziz International Airport and would inspect Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.

U.S. officials could not be immediately reached to confirm the airport in Riyadh had been cleared.

An illustration picture shows a laptop on the screen of an X-ray security scanner, April 7, 2017. Picture taken April 7, 2017. REUTERS/Srdjan Zivulovic/Illustration

Other carriers affected by the restrictions, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, have also been exempted from the ban.

(Reporting by Reem Shamseddine; wrting by Alexander Cornwell)

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