US lifts electronics ban on Emirates US-bound flights

Bloomberg / WAM

Emirates, the world’s biggest long-haul airline, said measures barring laptops from the cabins of aircraft departing its Dubai base for the US have been lifted.
The moratorium, imposed in March, was removed on Wednesday following work with local authorities and regulators on implementing the ‘heightened security measures and protocols’ required by the US Department of Homeland Security (USDHS), Emirates said in a statement.
Dubai becomes the third major hub to normalize access to personal devices on US-bound flights. Istanbul, home base to Turkish Airlines, also declared itself free of the ban on Wednesday after saying on Monday that that the restrictions would be dropped, while Etihad Airways hub Abu Dhabi secured exemption last Sunday, aided by the presence of a US
‘pre-clearance’ border post there.
Escaping the laptop ban is seen as vital for Mideast operators after the measures led some customers to switch to airlines where they could still use equipment also including tablet computers and games consoles. Emirates cut back operations to the US, where it serves 12 cities, in response to a dip in demand from the restrictions and temporary limitations on entry visas.
Other airports among the 10 affected by the US ban are also moving towards a resolution, with Saudi Arabia Airlines saying that it effects to be free of the curbs by July 19. Amman-based Royal Jordanian said it has also asked the US Transportation Services Authority to approve its response to the new guidelines requiring stricter security scans and checks.

Emirates commences daily direct flights to Vietnam’s Hanoi
Emirates airline has officially commenced daily direct flights from Dubai to Hanoi, Vietnam on July 1, providing Emirates’ passengers from Dubai and other destinations across Europe another seamless route to Vietnam. Passengers travelling to Hanoi will no longer stop in Yangon, saving approximately 2hrs30mins of travel time.
The first direct flight EK394 from Dubai departed at 03:30hrs and arrived at Noi Bai International Airport at 13:05hrs local time on July 1.
The new non-stop service is operated with a two-class configured Boeing 777-300ER which offers 42 seats in Business Class, 386 seats in Economy Class and up to 20 tonnes of capacity for cargo, with generous free baggage allowance, up to 35kg
in Economy Class and 40kg in Business Class.
The return flight, EK395, departs from Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport at 01:30hrs and arrives in Dubai International Airport at 05:05hrs. Timings of the service have been scheduled to allow for seamless connections from and to many European and GCC destinations, via a convenient stopover in Dubai.