U.S. Sets New Air Security Measures in Place of Broad Laptop Ban

The Department of Homeland Security mandated new security measures for airlines flying to the U.S., stepping back from a broader ban on traveling with laptops. DHS officials said Wednesday that new requirements will include enhanced screening of passengers and their belongings at foreign airports and new protocols for planes while they are on the ground there. Regulators and airlines overseas said they would study the mandate and work together to keep flights safe.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly outlined the new standards in a speech in Washington, where he said that terrorists are working hard to bring down aircraft and that the government must respond by increasing defensive measures. “It is time that we raise the global baseline of aviation security. We cannot play international Whac-A-Mole with each new threat,” he said.  Mr. Kelly added that various requirements, which will affect 180 airlines operating from 280 airports in 105 countries, can be “dialed up and down” depending on the threat. He said they would be enacted over the “next several weeks and months.”

In March, DHS banned personal electronic devices from the cabins of aircraft flying to the U.S. from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa. The agency feared that terrorists could smuggle explosives inside a laptop or tablet past security and set off the device in the cabin when the plane is aloft.  Airlines complained such a ban would disrupt their operations and inconvenience their passengers. Some airlines and industry experts also warned that storing more laptops powered by lithium batteries in the cargo hold raised the risk of an undetected fire.

Mr. Kelly had previously suggested a wider ban affecting flights from Europe, or affecting all flights to and from the U.S. The stricter protocols outlined on Wednesday would preclude a wider ban and lift the in-cabin electronics prohibition at the 10 affected airports if officials there enact the new measures. The rules would affect nearly 2,000 flights carrying some 325,000 passengers a day, DHS officials said.

The European Union is “carefully assessing these new security measures,” Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc said. Europe would continue to work with the U.S. to bolster protection of air travel, Ms. Bulc said. The EU has held weeks of talks with the U.S. amid concern the laptop ban could be expanded to European airports.  Responsibility for airport security checks in Europe falls to government not airlines. Deutsche Lufthansa AG said it was working with its relevant authorities to assure compliance with the new U.S. requirements, a spokesman said. There is no impact for passengers on the use of laptops, tablets or other electronics on flights to the U.S.

The International Air Transport Association, which lobbied heavily against the ban, said it welcomed the U.S. action and said it improved security. Still, the lobby group’s Director General Alexandre de Juniac struck a note of caution. He said “the aggressive timeline” would be “challenging.”  Airlines or airports that don’t comply may be subject to a ban on large electronic devices or possibly be barred from flying to the U.S. altogether, Mr. Kelly said Wednesday at a conference sponsored by the Center for a New American Security. But he said he expected that all parties will be able and willing to meet the new standards.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in a speech that various requirements can be ‘dialed up and down’ depending on the threat. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in a speech that various requirements can be ‘dialed up and down’ depending on the threat. PHOTO: JIM LO SCALZO/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
Mr. Kelly said the agency would work with its overseas partners to put the mandate in place. U.S. officials met with their European counterparts in Brussels this week to discuss aviation security.

Delta Air Lines Inc. said Wednesday that it is working with the government to implement the new measures and minimize their impact on customers.  Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker last week invited U.S. officials to audit his airline’s Doha hub, which is affected by the ban. “It would be really impossible for somebody to pass explosives [on board] in their laptops and iPads,” he said.  Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, whose Dubai hub has been affected by the March laptop ban, said last week that the airport was ready to make any upgrades the U.S. demanded. Emirates Airline is the largest airline by international traffic.

DHS said the new measures, which could also include more sophisticated baggage screening technology and wider use of canine units, are designed to limit inconvenience to fliers. Officials are encouraging foreign airports to enroll in a preclearance program that allows passengers to be screened abroad by Customs and Border Protection agents before heading to the U.S.

Wall Street Journal
Laura Meckler, Valentina Pop 
and Robert Wall  contributed to this article.