Emirates has banned pagers and walkie-talkies from its flights following the remote detonations of Hezbollah-owned devices in Lebanon last month. The Dubai-based airline has said that any devices found in passengers' luggage will be confiscated by police. Emirates bans pagers and walkie-talkies from its planes Last month, pagers and handheld radios used by militant group Hezbollah exploded in a series of coordinated attacks orchestrated by Israel, killing over 30 and injuring thousands more people, including civilians caught in the blasts.
Now more than two weeks since the attacks, Emirates will no longer allow passengers to bring such devices onboard its aircraft, either as cabin or checked baggage. The carrier said, "All Passengers travelling on flights to, from or via Dubai are prohibited from transporting pagers and walkie-talkies in checked or cabin baggage." In the immediate aftermath of the explosions, which occurred over two days across Lebanon, the country's main international airport - Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) - banned pagers and walkie-talkies from all flights.
With Israel stepping up its bombing campaign against Hezbollah in recent days, blasts were seen close to Beirut Airport, but it seems the airport escaped any damage. Lebanese officials have said that Israel managed to conceal explosives inside the batteries of pagers, adding that the technology was so advanced it was almost impossible to detect. Hezbollah has generally avoided cell pho.
