Talks on the anticipated proposed laptop ban on flights from Europe to the US ended with a promise on improving intelligence sharing among parties and not a ban.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) which represents about 265 airlines worldwide wrote a strong letter to the US State Department and the EU on Tuesday expressing their opposition to the ban. They argued the imposition would impact the economy negatively and cause an equivalent of $1.1 billion in lost time for passengers.
The airline industry pointed out the cost of more than a billion dollars in lost time and a severe downturn in trans-Atlantic air travel that would result if the imposition were to be enforced.
Laptop ban on flights from Europe to the U.S. will not be enforced for now after officials agreed to improve on security sharing. Credit: Jason Dewey/Getty Images
EU officials in Brussels who had been waiting eagerly to learn more of about details of the threats which prompted the ban breathed a sigh of relief when the talks ended with no ban but an agreement among parties to improve intelligence sharing and strategies.
On Wednesday, some officials speaking on condition of anonymity who followed the talks said the ban was “off the table” for now.
They also indicated the parties shared details of their aviation security standards and detection capabilities before agreeing for a follow-up meeting next week in Washington.
A joint statement on the upcoming meeting suggest the will focus will be on how to “further assess shared risks and solutions for protecting airline passengers whilst ensuring the smooth functioning of global air travel.”
A laptop ban is already in effect for 50 flights a day emanating from 10 cities within the Middle East. The original ban which has been partially adopted by Britain and is under consideration in Australia focused solely on certain countries because their screening equipment is deemed not as sophisticated and effective as the those in the U.S.
Critics of the laptop ban argue that its imposition would create a logistical nightmare on the world’s busiest air travel corridor – Europe. It is estimated that as many as 65 million people a year travel between North America and Europe on nearly 400 daily flights, many of them business travellers who rely on their laptops or similar devices to work while enroute to their destinations.
Passengers flying from Europe to the US can breathe a sigh of relief for now as the proposed laptop bans is “off the table” for now pending further review. Credit: (AP Photo/Bob Edme, File)
President Trump was this week criticized for leaking classified information on ISIS to the Russian Foreign Minister, a decision the White House has defended as his constitutional right to do as President. The information in question pertained to laptop threats on planes, something Russian has suffered from after one of its commercial planes and its passengers were victims.
While the short reprieve from the U.S. is a welcome development, the parties involved are aware that it is only a matter of time before the ban is imposed. Officials in Brussels who welcomed more discussions on how to improve security remain alarmed at the prospect of a laptop ban and want to know more about the new threats and the impact it would have on the aviation industry.
Security experts say a bomb in the airline cabin would be easier to make and would require less explosives than the one in the cargo hold.
Last week, airlines executives from three major US airlines (Delta, United and American) met with officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to discuss the potential of expanding a laptop ban to flights emanating from Europe.
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