Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Friday it will expedite new shipments of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones starting this week in response to a USA regulator’s advisory to not charge or turn on the phone in flight due to faulty batteries.
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Korean smartphone Samsung had to issue a voluntarily issued a recall last week for at least 10 markets, including the USA, after reports surfaced that several Galaxy Note 7s had exploded while users tried to charge the device.
In a statement, the USA aviation safety authority the Federal Aviation Administration said: “In light of recent incidents and concerns involving the new devices, passengers are advised not to turn on or charge these devices aboard aircrafts and not to stow them in any checked baggage”.
The agency said Friday it is working with Samsung on an official recall of the phones “as soon as possible” and that it’s trying to figure out if the company’s replacement Note 7’s are an “acceptable remedy”. Samsung announced a voluntary recall of the device last week.
“I think they are going to have a hard time enforcing this one”, he said. These devices are also not permitted to be stowed in checked baggage.
“Unless it is a strictly prohibited item, there’s not much that the TSA can do”, said Todd Curtis, director of an air-safety foundation.
For months, pilots and plane makers have raised concerns about lithium-ion batteries, which are used in many consumer devices ranging from phones to laptops to toys. American Airlines Group, the world’s largest carrier, said it was in touch with the FAA about the phones.
The airline apologised for the inconvenience caused stating “the safety of our customers and crew is of utmost priority”. “These incidents have occurred while charging and during normal use, which has led us to call for consumers to power down their Note 7s”.
The flydubai statement said: “Following the recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 personal electronic device, we would like to request passengers that own these devices to not switch them on or charge them in flight”.
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Shares of Samsung Electronics Co. tumbled 4 percent Friday, the worst decline for the company’s stock since January.
