Security chiefs meet to try to avert extension of hand-luggage gadget ban
US security officials are due to meet their EU counterparts this week to discuss ways to tighten air safety to avoid the need for a ban on electronics in hand-luggage being extended to all European flights.
The meeting comes as latest statistics reveal an increase in inflight fires caused by overheating lithium-ion batteries in gadgets placed in check-in luggage.
The US recently introduced new rules which force passengers travelling from 10 airports to the States to place battery-operated gadgets in the hold.
The UK has also introduced new rules that force passengers from six countries in north Africa and the Middle East to put larger electronics in their check-in luggage rather than taking them onboard in their hand luggage.
A Federal Aviation Administration report said there were 17 instances of overheating or exploding batteries on US airlines’ flights in the first five months of 2017.
They involved batteries in mobiles, laptops, e-cigarette devices, cameras, power packs and headphones.
They were on flights with Southwest Airlines, Frontier, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, while two fires were reported on FedEx cargo planes. Three flights had to be diverted.
There were 31 mid-flight fires throughout the whole of 2016.
With an electronics device ban in effect from 10 airports, primarily in the Middle East, and the possibility of it being expanded to 71 more airports, there are fears the problem will only get worse with baggage holds filled with unattended electronic devices that all use lithium-ion batteries.
This was acknowledged by US transportation secretary Elaine Chao at a Senate hearing last week. "This is a difficult issue that the administration is grappling with especially from a security point of view," she said.
A meeting between US homeland security chiefs and their European opposite numbers in Malta this week will discuss various alternatives, such as explosive detection screening, increased staff vetting and additional detection dogs.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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