Following last month’s deadly pager blasts incidents, where communication devices exploded during attacks on Hezbollah, Emirates Airlines has prohibited passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on its flights.
Emirates Airlines announced, “All passengers travelling to, from, or via Dubai are banned from transporting pagers and walkie-talkies in checked or cabin baggage,” a policy effective immediately as stated on the airline’s website last Friday. Dubai Police will confiscate any items found as part of increased security protocols.
These measures come in response to the September attacks, where thousands of Hezbollah pagers and hundreds of radios, allegedly booby-trapped, detonated—incidents largely attributed to Israel, although unclaimed by it.
Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, also stated that its flights to Iraq and Iran are suspended until Tuesday. However, services to Jordan will resume on Sunday. Due to ongoing Israeli strikes against Hezbollah, including near Beirut’s airport, flights to Lebanon will continue to be suspended until October 15. Several other airlines have also halted flights to Beirut and other regional airports amidst rising tensions.
