The US is expected to lift its cabin baggage ban on laptops and certain larger electronic devices on flights from several countries on July 5, CEO of Turkish Airlines (THY) Bilal Eksi said on Twitter on June 3, without providing further details.

On June 3, the US ended the ban that was applied to Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi. The airline said its plan to put in place "enhanced inspections" of passengers convinced the US to drop the tight security measure against hand luggage.

THY saw its shares sink after the US imposed the ban on devices larger than a smartphone on March 22. On the same day, the UK introduced a near-identical move.

The Turkish national carrier responded to the ban by offering free laptops aboard to passengers. Before the Etihad announcement, the ban applied to flights operated by nine airlines from 10 airports including Istanbul’s Ataturk International, THY’s main hub of operations.

A delegation from the US will visit Turkey to examine whether the country’s key airports are complying with its latest security standards, Hurriyet Daily News reported on June 3.

Following these security checks, the laptop ban may be lifted, the newspaper quoted Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan as saying on June 2.

“We have been in talks with both the US and Britain regarding the issue. We have told them the security measures at our airports meet global standards,” Arslan said.

The number of passengers THY carried in May rose by 5% y/y to 5.9mn, the airline reported on June 8. Across January-May, the number of passengers declined by 2% y/y to 25mn. Domestic passenger volume fell by 0.4% y/y to 11mn, while the international passenger figure declined 3% y/y to 14mn.