Whether the ban on carry-in of notebook PCs as countermeasures against terrorism extends from the Islamic area to Europe

ByCaribb

Since March 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken measures to prohibit nine airlines in eight countries in North Africa and the Middle East from bringing in electronic equipment larger than a mobile phone. There are increasing expectations that measures will be expanded to the European region.

U.S. mulls widening electronics carry-on ban to European airports - CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-electronics-ban-flights-europe-united-kingdom-possibly-expanding/

Report: Ban on laptops in planes may expand to Europe | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/05/report-ban-on-laptops-in-planes-may-expand-to-europe/

This news was reported in the US CBS News as a story of authorities officials. According to its contents, DHS is studying the advantage of expanding prohibition on bringing in. Government officials are discussing with air companies in the US almost at the weekly pace and judgment is considered to be given in the coming weeks.

DHS officials said that this content was being considered as of March 2017, and that discussion has been continued from there. In response to the CBS interview, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said, "Although we have not decided anything about expansion of banning measures, we have evaluated security measures based on various information, We may make changes if it seems necessary. "

Measures to bring in the cabin are carried out with the aim of preventing terrorists and others from bringing explosives into the cabin as a lithium ion battery mounted on relatively large electronic equipment such as notebook PCs and to prevent explosion in the sky . However, there are also views that businessmen and others who can not work in the cabin are affected by this measure, there are also aspects that it is practically difficult to carry out.

Also, even if you leave a laptop in the cargo hold, it is not possible to completely prevent the explosion. In the experiment carried out by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA), fire-fighting tests of lithium-ion batteries are carried out with the halon gas used for fire extinguishing filled in the facilities considered as cargo compartment of airplane, but lithium ion Halon gas has no fire extinguishing capability against batteries, and the result that the container is eventually destroyed by battery explosion is announced.

FAA video Lithium Ion batteries on fire under FRC - YouTube


As mentioned above, the regulation has not yet been decided. It is "electronic equipment larger than smart phone" that is subject to regulation, and it will include tablet terminals, DVD players, etc. as well as notebook PCs. However, it is said that it will be out of scope for equipment used for medical purposes.