The US Department of Homeland Security has exempted Qatar Airways from a ban on personal electronic devices on board US-bound flights departing from Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha, Qatar.
The exemption was granted after the US officials inspected the security measures at the airport.
With the lifting of the ban, Qatar Airways has become the fourth airline in the Middle East to be able to allow passengers to carry laptops and other large electronic devices aboard its flights to the US.
Emirates, Turkish Airlines and Etihad Airlines were recently permitted by US authorities to allow their passengers to carry such devices on US-bound flights, reported CNBC.
Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: “We are pleased to announce that the electronics ban has been lifted from Qatar Airways flights departing to all destinations in the US safety and security are always our highest priority. They are expressed throughout all of our corporate values, and must never be compromised.
“The security measures in-place in Doha allow us to continue to provide our renowned world-class service for all our passengers travelling to the US.
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By GlobalData“We look forward to providing our passengers an even greater choice of US destinations soon, with the addition of San Francisco to our expanding network, on board the most modern of aircraft including the Airbus A350 and our Qsuite retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft.”
Last month, Qatar Airways announced its plan to make an initial investment of up to 4.75% in American Airlines.
The airline is yet to submit the necessary regulatory filings for the proposed investment.
