US lifts laptop ban for Etihad flights, thanks to extra security at Abu Dhabi airport

The United States has lifted a ban on passengers taking laptops and tablet computers on Etihad Airways flights from its base in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi, authorities said Sunday.

The move - welcomed by Etihad - comes more than three months after the United States prohibited such devices on direct flights from 10 airports in Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa.

Etihad is the first airliner to benefit from a lift in the ban, which specified that carry-on laptops and other electronic devices larger than cellphones would not be permitted in the cabin on direct flights from the airports, including Abu Dhabi.

The ban was implemented after intelligence officials learned of efforts by the Islamic State group to fashion a bomb that could be secreted inside such devices.

The decision to lift the ban on US-bound Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi came after the airline implemented enhanced security measures, said David Lapan, spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security.

“We commend Etihad for working swiftly to implement these additional measures,” he said. “Their efforts are a model for both foreign and domestic airlines looking to adopt the new measures.”

Lapan said the specific measures that were put in place were confidential, but added that passengers and electronic devices would face additional screening.