Canada to consider following U.S. lead on passenger devices

Canada is evaluating intelligence received from the United States to decide whether it should adopt new rules regarding electronic devices carried by passengers of foreign airlines arriving from 10 airports in majority-Muslim countries, according to The Globe & Mail.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau reportedly spoke with U.S. Homeland Secretary John Kelly on Tuesday for an explanation of the new regulation, which means that flights into the United States from 10 airports in eight Muslim-majority countries will only allow cellphones and smartphones in their passenger cabins.

The U.S. ban, which was announced yesterday, affects flights from international airports in Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Qatar, and the U.A.E. It means that restrictions will be placed on about 50 flights a day. Britain followed suit by announcing that it was also following the U.S. action, applying a ban to domestic and foreign flights arriving from Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

Although Garneau did not disclose the type of security threat that caused the new restrictions, The New York Times has reported that the U.S. has received intelligence showing that Islamic State is developing a bomb concealed in portable electronic devices.

Routes that could be affected, should Canada implement a similar ban, are Turkish Airlines flights from Istanbul to Montreal, Royal Jordanian flights between Amman and Montreal, and Qatar Airways flights between Doha and Montreal.