Several airlines have instigated a ban against the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, after a battery fault in the device caused dozens of phones to explode in the US.
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The call from the South Korean company, the world’s largest smartphone maker, comes after US authorities urged users to switch the Galaxy Note 7 off and not to use or charge it during a flight.
PAL also said these devices are not allowed as checked-in items, but may be hand carried for as long as these are switched off at all times. “We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note 7s and exchange them now”, Tim Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics America, said in a statement. “New Note7 replacement devices will be issued to exchange program participants upon completion of the CPSC process”. Samsung which boasts of their manufacturing expertise, recalling Galaxy Note 7 has put Samsung in black spot and is certainly a big blow to the company’s reputation.
“Although Samsung is the most recent company advising of faulty devices, others have issued similar recalls and warnings regarding lithium batteries in laptops over the last 12 months, so the industry is familiar with and equipped to manage such situations”, the IATA said.
The FAA statement does not order U.S. airlines to take action. The Commission was working with Samsung to have an official recall “as soon as possible”.
Following advice given by U.S. and the European air safety regulators for passengers to avoid using and charging Galaxy Note 7s on planes and not to stow the device in any checked luggage, the CAAT has now issued a similar announcement.
“The ministry has advised airlines and travelling public not to turn on or charge the said mobile during flights”. Aviation authorities in Canada, Europe, India and Japan also banned Galaxy Note 7s on board, and Cathay Pacific, Emirates Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Qantas and United Airlines began treating the phablet as a potential explosive.
The tech giant said in a statement last week that there had been 35 reported cases of phones with “a battery cell issue” and that it would replace devices that had already been sold.
Samsung looks to be taking a hard-line on recalling its Galaxy Note 7, with plans to remotely deactivate any handsets not returned by 30 September.
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The announcement is part of a global recall affecting up to ten countries.
