WASHINGTON _ U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and European Union leaders agreed to continue talks on whether to expand an American ban on laptops in airliner cabins to include flights from Europe, the two sides said.
In a call with European Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc, Kelly said that the proposed U.S. expansion of restrictions on large electronics was "still on the table," according to an emailed statement from the Department of Homeland Security.
Kelly committed to further international cooperation over the matter during the call on Tuesday, an EU official said. The official, who wasn't authorized to speak about the talks, asked not to be named. The two sides don't agree on the best way to handle what the U.S. considers to be a growing threat that explosives could be smuggled inside laptops, tablet computers and e-readers, the official said.
The U.S. on March 21 barred electronic devices larger than a mobile phone from being carried in airliner cabins on flights departing for America from 10 Middle East and North Africa airports. Passengers' devices must be carried in the cargo hold.
In recent weeks, the U.S. held talks with airlines and officials in other nations on the need for expanding the ban to flights leaving Europe and other regions. Kelly said Sunday that he was also considering a ban on the devices aboard international flights departing the U.S.
Both U.S. and European Union officials agreed on the need to improve aviation security across the globe, DHS said in its statement.
U.S. carriers have suggested a variety of measures short of a ban to reduce the threat while allowing travelers to use their devices, according to an emailed statement from Airlines for America. The measures include more checks for explosives, visual inspections of devices and questioning passengers about their electronics.
"We continue to believe that security and efficiency are not mutually exclusive goals," the group, which represents most large carriers, said in the statement.
