The president of the UN’s civil aviation body, ICAO, has said he will put the issue of carrying laptops and other electronic devices on flights at the top of his organisation’s agenda.
Speaking at IATA’s Annual General Meeting in Mexico this week, Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said that security must be balanced with passenger comfort and convenience.
“We recognise that the number of business and pleasure travellers wishing to carry their laptops or other devices into aircraft in the years ahead will continue to increase, with those devices becoming more and more important to their productivity and social needs,” Dr Aliu told the assembled airline executives.
“Our guiding priority in the ICAO Council… will be to ensure that all related security and safety risks are fully considered and prudently balanced.”
ICAO said it will review the matter during its next meeting in autumn.
The issue of carrying electronic devices on flights has been long and contentious, with safety issues relating to the combustion of lithium batteries and the perceived security threat of terrorists using them to hide explosives.
