US, EU set to discuss airplane laptop ban

Possible ban expansion has caused consternation among aviation officials and travel industry groups on both sides of the Atlantic.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly will speak with European officials today about their concerns about a potential expansion of the U.S. ban on carrying laptops and other large electronics on board some U.S.-bound flights.

DHS spokesman David Lapan said no decision is expected today on the possible expansion, which has caused consternation among some aviation officials and travel industry groups on both sides of the Atlantic. The department already prohibits laptops, tablets, e-readers and other electronic devices larger than a cellphone from riding in the cabins of planes from 10 airports in the Middle East.

The department and European Commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen both said Kelly would speak this afternoon with several European officials. The Associated Press reported that they would include representatives of Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy — as well as France, whose current administration leaves office this weekend.

“Should something of this magnitude be planned, we of course want to do this in very good cooperation from the very start and then want to be informed,” Itkonen said.

European representatives plan to emphasize the dangers of stowing so many laptops and their potentially flammable lithium batteries inside planes’ cargo holds, noting that many aircraft still don’t have in-hold fire prevention systems, one senior EU official said. European officials are also concerned that communication from the U.S. has been almost non-existent, and that nobody knows for sure which countries or airports might be affected.

DHS has said it is considering expanding the ban but has made no final decisions, despite a widespread expectation among the industry that an expansion is imminent. The department held briefings Thursday with U.S. senators and major domestic airlines.