Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) has said it will consider cutting flights to New Zealand if the government implements plans to ban laptops on flights originating from the Middle East, reports Reuters.

New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English has said that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is assessing whether or not to ban large electronic devices on certain flights.

"With this particular proposition there’s a balance between inconvenience for passengers, many of whom live off their laptop on the one hand, but on the other hand it’s making sure that the flying is safe," English said.

Responding to the potential ban, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said that a decision would need to be made on the viability of continuing flights from Doha Hamad International to Auckland International - which only commenced on February 6, 2017. "It's performing good but you know if we are imposed with bans which would affect our traffic then we will have to reconsider," al-Baker is reported as saying. "It is a very expensive route for us to operate."

The CAA has not confirmed if or when a decision would be made.