Emirates bans pagers, walkie-talkies following deadly Lebanon blasts

Following last month’s deadly pager explosions in Lebanon, Dubai-based Emirates Airlines has banned all passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on its flights.

“All passengers traveling to, from, or via Dubai are prohibited from transporting pagers and walkie-talkies in checked or cabin baggage,” Emirates said in a statement.

It added that any prohibited items found will be confiscated by Dubai Police as part of heightened security measures.

Lebanon's pager explosions 

In September 2024, Lebanon witnessed a series of unprecedented attacks targeting Hezbollah using wireless paging and walkie-talkie devices.

These devices, typically used for communication, were rigged to explode after receiving specially coded signals transmitted through Lebanon’s wireless infrastructure – after being booby-trapped with small amounts of explosives when Hezbollah imported the devices.

On September 17, the first attack occurred when thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah detonated simultaneously, resulting in over 2,700 injuries and at least 12 deaths. This was followed by another attack on September 18, where walkie-talkies exploded, killing 25 people and injuring hundreds more.

The attacks involved sophisticated manipulation of the wireless paging system, likely using a coded signal sent from an RF transmitter to activate hidden explosives within the devices. Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities blamed “Israel” for the attacks, though Israel has not officially confirmed involvement.