“Terrorists want to bring down aircraft,” DHS Secretary Kelly said at a conference in Washington, D.C. “They still see aviation as the crown jewel target. However, we are not standing on the sidelines while fanatics hatch new plots,” he added. “Together, we have the opportunity to raise the baseline on aviation security globally, and we can do it in a manner that will not inconvenience the flying public.”
Once airlines have implemented these new requirements, the current ban on electronics will be removed. If airlines can’t or won’t implement the new procedures, they will be barred from transporting personal electronic devices to the United States, in both the cabin and the cargo hold, and could even face suspension of operations into the United States.
Secretary Kelly added that Homeland Security will continue to encourage airports to introduce more sophisticated checkpoint screening technologies and increase their use of canine teams.