jet airways, jet airways etihad, emirates, emirates 2017 results, etihad emirates merger, gulf carriers hit by us rules, laptops banned to us flights
Emirates Airlines aircraft are seen at Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates May 10, 2016.Reuters file

Emirates and Turkish Airlines on Wednesday announced they had been exempted from a United States ban on passengers taking laptops and tablet computers on flights from their Dubai and Istanbul airports.

The US government had imposed restrictions in March on carrying large electronic devices like iPads and laptops in aircraft cabins on flights from 10 airports in Muslim-majority countries, including United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey.

Emirates and Turkish Airlines are the latest carriers to have been given a clean chit by the US after Abu Dhabi's Etihad was removed from the laptop ban list. 

"The ban on electronic devices has been lifted with immediate effect for flights to destinations in the United States," an Emirates spokesman told AFP.

The spokesperson said the airline was given an exemption after it implemented new security measures asked by Washington.

US had demanded that these airlines implement extra security measures after its intelligence officials learnt of Islamic State (ISIS) group's efforts to make a bomb which could be hidden inside electronic devices.

Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines plane [Representational Image]Reuters

Reports state the requirement included installation of sophisticated imaging technology for X-ray and ultrasound screening of carry-on devices.The ban states that all electronic devices which are larger than a mobile phone should be transported only in the checked luggage.

The US laptop ban reportedly triggered a decrease in demand for  Emirates' US-bound flights. The airline, in May, had reduced its services on five of the 12 US airports it serves.