Qatar Airways joins three other airlines now removed from the U.S.'s carry-on ban of laptops and other large electronics.
The Gulf carrier confirmed Thursday that it's received an exemption on flights from Doha's Hamad International Airport to destinations in the U.S. via travel alert published on its official website.
"Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport have met with all requirements of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's new security guidelines and we would like to express our thanks to the U.S. and local authorities for their support during this process," the airline stated.
"We would also like to thank our loyal passengers for their understanding and patience while the ban has been in place."
[CALLOUT]
Qatar's announcement comes one day after the electronics ban was lifted for U.S.-bound Emirates and Turkish Airlines flights from Dubai and Istanbul. The ban was also lifted on Etihad Airways' flights to the U.S. from Abu Dhabi International Airport on Sunday.
The controversial ban went into effect at 10 airports in eight different countries during March and is aimed at keeping explosives hidden in electronic devices out of aircraft cabins.
In April, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker called the ban "not necessary."
"People who want to disrupt aviation will do it from other places where there is no ban," he said. "If [you] continue this way, at the end of the day you will have people sitting in the airplane with underwear and nothing [else] on them. In today's day and age, we have so much advancement and detection systems, that we should utilize them and not shoot from the hip."
Qatar Airways originally attempted to skirt the ban by lending laptops to business class customers.
According to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) via USA Today, Middle East airlines reported a modest 3.7 percent rise in passenger demand in May, compared to same month during 2016.
The figure represents a nearly eight-year low in growth.
[READMORE] READ MORE: Qatar Airways in Trouble as Middle East Allies Back Up [/READMORE]
Royal Jordanian, EgyptAir, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways and Royal Air Maroc remain on the list of airlines affected under the current laptop ban.
"The security measures in place in Doha allow us to continue to provide our renowned world-class service for all our passengers traveling to the U.S.," Al Baker said in a statement.
"We look forward to providing our passengers an even greater choice of U.S. destinations soon, with the addition of San Francisco to our expanding network, on board the most modern of aircraft including the Airbus A350 and our Q-suite retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft."
Qatar Airways currently operates flights to 10 destinations within the U.S. and will add San Francisco and Las Vegas in 2018.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
