Turkey seeks exemption from US ban on electronics on flights

The Turkish Transport Minister, Ahmet Arslan, has written to the US government asking for Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport to be removed from a list of airports where passengers flying direct to the US will no longer be allowed to carry electronic devices larger than smartphones in the cabin.

“Turkey obeys international security rules, and this practice affects the comfort of passengers,” the letter said, according to a Turkish official, who declined to provide a copy of the communication.

Turkish Airlines, which is 50 per cent owned by the Turkish government, runs the only direct flights from Istanbul to the US as American carriers cut services after a drop in tourism last year.

Turkish officials are also planning an appeal to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Montreal-based based UN agency which works with 191 countries to reach acceptable standards for safety and audits member states, according to the official.

At the same time, Turkish security officials are suggested an alternate boarding process, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

Banning larger electronic devices from the cabin requires for them to go through security checks via Explosive Detection Systems, or EDS, which scan all checked baggage at Ataturk airport, while hand baggage is only x-rayed, with a small number of passengers having their baggage tested for explosives residue.

Airport officials have suggested that they set up EDS checks for all flights heading to the US or UK, to be applied at the boarding gate. That would allow them to comply with the spirit of the guideline. “It’s an easy solution,” said one person familiar with the negotiations.