Laptop ban begins as Dubai expects 1.1m travellers

 Dubai International Airport and Emirates began implementing the ban on laptops and tablets on direct flights to the US on Saturday. This weekend is expected to be one of the busiest travel weekends of the year with schools out for Easter break.

A US official told The Associated Press the ban will apply to nonstop flights to the US from 10 international airports serving the cities of Cairo in Egypt; Amman in Jordan; Kuwait City in Kuwait; Casablanca in Morocco; Doha in Qatar; Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia; Istanbul in Turkey; and Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The ban was indefinite, said the official.

1.1 million people are expected to pass through Dubai airport as the city marks UAE spring break, Dubai Airports’ senior vice president for communications Anita Mehra said in a recent release.

Dubai International Airport's duty free operator estimates that it will lose about $2 million in sales this year from the ban on carrying most electronic devices on United States-bound flights, reports Reuters.

Passengers flying directly to Britain from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey will face restrictions with the UK banning laptops and tablet computers from the plane cabin following a US security warning.