European airlines are bracing themselves for more than turbulence after the Trump administration said it may ban laptops in cabins on flights from Europe to the United States.
The formal announcement of the laptop ban expansion is expected to come Thursday, according to the Daily Beast. The Department of Homeland Security is evaluating the safety of lithium-ion batteries in midair.
Air France-KLM Group (AFLYY) and Deutsche Lufthansa (DLAKY) are already making preparations for the ban, which would include tablets, game consoles and any other devices larger than a smartphone, according to Bloomberg.
A Transportation Security Administration official said of the initial ban that intelligence showed efforts to take down commercial flights could involve smuggling explosives into electronics. Britain and Australia introduced similar restrictions and New Zealand is considering the same.
The restrictions are currently limited to eight countries, and have affected airlines such as Royal Jordanian Airlines, Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad Airways.
Emirates responded by loaning outMicrosoft Surface tablets to First and Business Class passengers for free.