WASHINGTON (TVR) – The Trump administration, under pressure from European allies, has unexpectedly decided not to announce an electronics ban expansion that would cover U.S.-bound flights from Europe, according to a report from BBC News.

The article, published late Wednesday night East Coast time, stated that “US and EU officials have decided against a ban on laptops and tablets in cabin baggage on flights from Europe” but that “other measures were still being considered.”

On mid-morning Thursday, the Associated Press quoted an unnamed official as saying the electronics ban expansion was “off the table” for now.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests from The Voyage Report seeking confirmation or comment of the BBC’s report.

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In remarks at George Washington University last month, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said it was “likely” the ban would be expanded to cover more routes beyond the initial 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa, “given the sophisticated threats aviation faces” and in “an attempt to safeguard lives.”

When the electronics ban expansion appeared imminent last week, many aviation and travel organizations went public with concerns, and security officials from the European Union called for an urgency summit, frustrated by what they viewed as inadequate consultations by American authorities.

The global trade representative for the world’s airports, Airports Council International, declared there had been a “lack of meaningful security cooperation” between the U.S. and E.U. and that it is “not conducive to effective security and potentially compromises trust in the aviation security system.”

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Electronics Ban Summit Next Week

A joint statement issued Wednesday evening by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the European Commission before the publication of the BBC News report said both sides “exchanged information” at the Brussels meeting Wednesday “on the serious evolving threats to aviation security and approaches to confronting such threats.”

Further, the statement said the sharing included “insight into existing aviation security standards and detection capabilities as well as recent security enhancements on both sides of the Atlantic related to large electronic devices placed in checked baggage.”

Another summit is now scheduled for next week in Washington, D.C.

Full U.S.-E.U. Statement

Here is the full, joint statement about the electronics ban expansion meeting held on May 17, 2017:

BRUSSELS – Today, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, and European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, hosted a delegation from the United States in Brussels, led by Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke, to discuss issues related to aviation security and safety.

At the meeting, both sides exchanged information on the serious evolving threats to aviation security and approaches to confronting such threats. Participants provided insight into existing aviation security standards and detection capabilities as well as recent security enhancements on both sides of the Atlantic related to large electronic devices placed in checked baggage.

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.

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Electronics Ban Expansion Slammed

The International Air Transport Association has warned that if the restrictions were extended to cover the approximately 400 daily flights between Europe and the United States, it would cost passengers an estimated $1.1 billion each year in lost productivity and extra staffing costs.

ACI warned Tuesday of “the highly disruptive and far-reaching consequences” that would result from expanding the ban on all electronics larger than a cell phone to the approximately 500 daily flights between the European continent and America from 59 airports.

The airports council estimated the number of passengers carrying laptops, tablets, e-readers, and other possibly-prohibited devices into the cabin ranges between 60%-90%, an extraordinary high number that could affect check-in lines, laborious baggage checks at departure gates, length of boarding, and on-time departure rates.

A survey released this month found that four out of every 10 travelers say they will be affected by the U.S. electronics ban and that 40% of those—nearly half—said they would “reroute their itinerary to avoid the inconvenience,” possibly adding time and cost to the trip.

In addition, ACI cautioned that rapidly expanding security checks may not even be possible in any electronics ban expansion because such numbers of additional staff “are not readily available.”

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Laptop Threat Behind Ban

The intelligence leading the U.S. to consider the electronics ban expansion is reported to be part of the classified intelligence Pres. Trump suddenly disclosed to top Russian officials in an Oval Office meeting last week.

On Tuesday, U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster tried to downplay the impact of the disclosure, telling reporters in the White House briefing room that the airline threat “was shared with multiple allies.”

McMaster said “there are already policies being put into place to protect against that threat,” apparently alluding to the expansion of the electronics ban to cover additional airports.

On Wednesday, CBS News reported ISIS had been testing “a new generation of more powerful explosives” at Mosul University in Iraq that could then be concealed in a laptop computer. Mosul has been under the militants’ control since 2014.

U.S. officials said the initial electronics ban was put in place because “evaluated intelligence” showed terrorist groups were keen on developing new, stealth explosives that could fit into a laptop-sized device and be carried on an aircraft, endangering passengers and crew.

Explosives inside a laptop detonated onboard a Daallo Airlines flight last year while the aircraft was in mid-air.

Only the suspected bomber died and the plane landed safely, despite a gaping hole in the fuselage.

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