PASSENGERS on flights to Britain could face bans on using laptops and other electronic devices from flights from Middle Eastern countries, it has been reported.

The move comes after Washington is ordered passengers on non-stop flights to the US from a handful of mostly Middle Eastern and North African countries to pack electronic devices other than mobile phones in their checked baggage.

And a national newspaper reported that UK security services are expected to follow with a similar ban.

Senior Trump administration officials said only mobiles will be allowed in the passenger cabin on airlines flying directly to the US from 10 airports in eight countries.

Other electronics including laptops and tablets will be banned indefinitely from the passenger cabin.

The officials said the airlines have 96 hours to implement the security order or face being barred from flying to the US.

The ban affects flights from international airports in Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Cairo, Egypt; Istanbul, Turkey; Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

About 50 flights a day, all on foreign carriers, will be impacted. The officials said no US-based airlines have non-stop flights from those cities to the States.

The officials said the decision was prompted by "evaluated intelligence" about potential threats to planes bound for the US. The officials would not discuss the timing of the intelligence or if any particular terror group is thought to be planning an attack.

The ban would affect laptops, tablet computers, cameras and most other electronics.

Royal Jordanian Airlines tweeted about the ban, telling passengers that medical devices would be allowed on board.

Details of the ban were first disclosed by Royal Jordanian and the official news agency of Saudi Arabia.

In its statement, Royal Jordanian said the electronics ban would affect its flights to New York, Chicago, Detroit and Montreal.

Brian Jenkins, an aviation security expert at the Rand Corp, said the nature of the security measure suggested it was driven by intelligence of a possible attack. There could be concern about inadequate passenger screening or even conspiracies involving insiders - airport or airline employees - in some countries, he said.

Homeland security secretary John Kelly phoned legislators over the weekend to brief them on aviation security issues that have prompted the ban, according a congressional aide.

The administration officials who briefed reporters about the ban said foreign officials were told about the impending order starting on Sunday.

A US government official said such a ban has been considered for several weeks.

The ban would begin just before Wednesday's meeting of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Washington. A number of senior Arab officials are expected to attend the State Department gathering.