Passengers on Etihad Airways flights out of Abu Dhabi to the United States will be able to use larger gadgets, such as laptops, during their journey. Regulations requiring passengers to put laptops and other gadgets in baggage in the hold were introduced in March.
“We welcome the decision by the US department of homeland security to lift the electronic devices ban on flights between Abu Dhabi and the United States, following the successful validation of security measures at the US preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi airport,” said a statement from the carrier.
“Effective immediately, the removal of the restrictions allows passengers flying to the US to carry all laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices onto the aircraft, subject to enhanced security measures. We would like to thank our guests for their understanding and loyalty while the ban was in place.”
All Etihad Airways guests travelling to the United States clear US immigration and customs at the US preclearance facility in Terminal 3 at Abu Dhabi International Airport, the only one of its kind in the Middle East. When guests land in the US, they arrive as domestic passengers with no requirement to queue for immigration and custom checks again.
Affecting 180 airlines and 280 airports, it is anticipated that Etihad Airways is one of the first airlines to be able to satisfy the short-term measures required by the transportation security administration due to the superior security advantages provided by the preclearance facility.
Etihad Airways currently operates 45 flights a week between Abu Dhabi and six cities across the United States – including double daily to New York, daily to Washington, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles, and three-times-per-week to San Francisco.
The US is one of Etihad Airways’ largest markets, with 203,515 passengers flying to the US from Abu Dhabi between January and April this year. This was up by 13,157 passengers for the same period in 2016.
