US considers extending laptop ban to Europe and UK flights

The US Department of Homeland Security is considering applying a ban on passengers bringing laptop computers onto airplanes to flights from Europe, including the UK, but has not taken a final decision.

“UK and Europe are certainly under consideration but nothing is imminent,” said one Trump administration official.

The Department of Homeland Security said that it would “continue to evaluate the threat environment and make determinations based on that assessment”, but added that it had “not made any decisions on expanding the current restrictions against large electronic devices in aircraft cabins from selected airports”.

The US Transportation Security Administration last month barred passengers travelling to the US from several Middle Eastern and north African countries from carrying large electronic devices into the main cabin under new counter-terrorism measures.

UK authorities have introduced similar restrictions, but applied them to flights from different countries.