Countries suspend flights, cargo from Yemen

Source: AP, 08/11/2010

Restrictions imposed on cargo and flights from Yemen in aftermath of mail bomb plot.
Countries:
- Germany -- The Aviation authority banned all cargo and passenger flights from Yemen. One of the two mail bombs sent in cargo packages from Yemen transited through Germany to London.

-- Britain -- Britain, which discovered one of the two mail bombs, halted air cargo from Yemen and Somalia and banned the import of large printer cartridges by air from any country. The explosives were hidden in a printer cartridge.

-- United States -- The U.S. temporarily banned all incoming cargo and mail from Yemen. U.S. counterterrorism officials warned police and emergency personnel to be on the watch for mail with characteristics that could indicate dangerous substances are hidden inside. The Homeland Security Department said it was stepping up airline security.

-- France -- France's civil aviation authority suspended air freight from Yemen.

-- Canada -- All direct air cargo flights from Yemen suspended.

-- United Arab Emirates -- Authorities in the country that discovered the second mail bomb sent from Yemen have tightened security at airports to more closely monitor shipments from other countries. Airlines based in the UAE have halted shipments of air cargo from Yemen.

-- Egypt -- Authorities started manually inspecting all incoming and outgoing packages on cargo planes, paying special attention to those from Yemen. Previously, packages were X-rayed and only those deemed suspicious were opened.

Courier and postal services:

-- FedEx and UPS -- Both companies have suspended air freight from Yemen.

-- U.S. Postal Service -- The USPS temporarily stopped accepting inbound international mail originating from Yemen.

-- Aramex -- The Dubai-headquartered shipping company has stopped accepting packages from Yemen.

-- TNT -- The Dutch postal and express group said it has placed an embargo on Yemeni cargo, per the request of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

Airlines:

-- Emirates -- The Middle East's biggest airline, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has stopped carrying cargo from Yemen.

-- Etihad Airways -- The airline based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which doesn't run direct flights from Yemen, has imposed an embargo on Yemeni and Somali cargo.

-- Air Arabia -- A discount airline based in the UAE emirate of Sharjah is not accepting freight from Yemen.

-- Gulf Air -- Bahrain's airline is limiting cargo from Yemen to items destined to stay in Bahrain.