Dhaka: The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will allow passengers at airports nationwide to keep their shoes on during security screening, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday (July 8).

The new policy is nationwide and takes effect immediately, said Noem, whose department oversees the TSA.

While the rule may not apply to passengers who need additional layers of screening, Noem said, it will be the norm for most people going forward.

"With this no-shoes policy, we anticipate that Americans and travelers and those coming into our country will be very excited they will no longer have to remove their shoes," she said.

Noem attributed the change to a review of the agency's security and screening protocols that determined which were effective. Passengers will still pass through what Noem described as a multilayered screening and identity verification process before they can board planes.

A senior government official told NBC News earlier that the policy would apply to passengers only at selected airports, though it could expand nationwide in the near future.

Nicholas Calio, CEO of Airlines for America, a trade association, applauded the move, saying it will go a "long way in facilitating smooth, seamless and secure travel for passengers and is welcome news to the millions of people who fly every day."

"Making security decisions that are informed by risk assessments and based on leveraging advanced technologies is a commonsense approach to policy change," Calio said.

Shoe removal has been part of the airport experience since 2006, when the TSA instituted the requirement, citing intelligence indicating a "continuing threat" of explosives.

-B