Turkish Airlines started to implement a ban on large electronics in the cabins of all its aircraft leaving Istanbul’s Ataturk airport on March 25 in response to new inbound restrictions imposed by the United States and the UK.
Turkish Airlines introduced a service letting customers use laptops and tablets until they boarded flights leaving Ataturk Airport, before they were placed in hold suitcases by airport officials.
The decision by the United States and UK to forbid devices bigger than a cellphone being carried into the cabin on flights from several Middle East and North African states could hit Istanbul particularly hard after years building up its position as an international hub.
The U.S. restrictions apply to flights originating from 10 airports in countries including Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
The British restrictions do not include the United Arab Emirates or Qatar, but will affect Turkish Airlines and U.K.-based carriers including British Airways, EasyJet, and Monarch. The affected airlines had until March 25 to implement the new rules.