Saudi national carrier says laptop ban on U.S. flights ended

A ban on laptops and other large electronic devices from the cabins of direct flights to the US from Saudi Arabia has been lifted, Saudi Arabian Airlines said Wednesday. In March, the United States imposed restrictions on passengers carrying laptops and other large electronic gear in cabins on flights from certain airports in the Middle East and North Africa in response to unspecified security threats. The US Department of Homeland Security has inspected and cleared flights from Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport from the ban, said the state-owned carrier. The US TSA is to visit Saudia on Wednesday to confirm that Riyadh airport is complying with new security measures announced last month, TSA spokeswoman Michelle Negron said. A lifting of the ban would be based on visual confirmation by TSA officials that the measures were being implemented correctly, she said.<br/>