U.S. and European Union officials agreed Wednesday to scrap plans to ban laptops and tablets in cabin baggage on flights from Europe.
U.S. officials were looking into extending a ban on electronics on flights from 10 airports. The ban was put in place over fears bombs could be concealed in the devices.
A meeting Wednesday between EU and Department of Homeland Security officials ended with an agreement to take the ban “off the table” for now, the Associated Press reports. They shared details about aviation security standards and will discuss the topic further next week.
“The United States and the European Union reaffirmed their commitment to continue working closely together on aviation security generally, including meeting next week in Washington D.C. to further assess shared risks and solutions for protecting airline passengers, whilst ensuring the smooth functioning of global air travel,” they said in a joint statement.
The existing ban involves 50 flights per day from 10 airports, primarily in the Middle East. A ban on flights from Europe would affect 65 million people per year on close to 400 daily flights.
The International Air Transport Association — a trade group representing 265 airlines worldwide — estimates the cost of a ban in Europe would exceed $1 billion in lost productivity.
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