The US homeland security department has said it will put into place “enhanced security measures” in certain overseas airports with direct flights to the US.
The unspecified measures will be put into place in some airports with direct US flights
The UK transport department said the country would be among those to step up security procedures.
The move comes amid US media reports that al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria and Yemen are developing bombs to smuggle on planes.
The US security agency said the changes would be made in the “upcoming days”.
It did not specify which countries would be affected nor did it say what triggered the move. It is unclear if the move would be permanent or for a limited period, or would affect airports in the US.
“We will work to ensure these necessary steps pose as few disruptions to travellers as possible,” Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement.
“We are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies and are consulting the aviation industry.”
In a statement, the UK Department for Transport said the country had “taken the decision to step up some of our aviation security measures”.
He added: “For obvious reasons we will not be commenting in detail on those changes. The majority of passengers should not experience significant disruption.”
