Emirates customers will no longer be allowed to travel with pagers or walkie-talkie devices, according to a statement from the airline released on Friday. The new policy comes after the militant group Hezbollah announced in September that its pagers and walkie-talkies had been rigged with explosives, killing dozens of people, including children, and injuring thousands more. Ta.
“All passengers traveling on flights to, from, or through Dubai are prohibited from transporting pagers or walkie-talkies in their checked or cabin baggage,” Emirates said in a statement. “If such items are found in a passenger's hand luggage or checked baggage, they will be confiscated by Dubai Police.”
In addition to these restrictions regarding passenger safety, Emirates has canceled flights from the Lebanese capital Beirut until October 15th and postponed flights from Iran and Iraq until October 7th. It will also stop accepting passengers flying from Dubai to Beirut.
Other companies followed suit. Gerald Steinberg, president of the NGO Monitor, said attacks on devices in mid-September were largely “undetected” but remained a concern for people in the region.
The Hill has reached out to Emirates for comment.
