March 21 (UPI) -- Passengers traveling from airports in eight Middle Eastern and North African countries will no longer be allowed to carry electronics larger than cellphones onto foreign carriers, U.S. officials announced. The affected airlines include Royal Jordanian, Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways. Officials said the limitations are designed to address gaps in foreign airport security and are not based on any specific threat of attack. A State Department official said that embassies of affected countries, as well as affected airlines, have been notified.Officials said about 50 daily flights to the United States will be impacted by the directive. Emirates Airways, a major carrier based in the United Arab Emirates, said it had not yet received the order but intends to comply.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 21, 2017 12:54 UTC