Another carrier in the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways, has already temporarily banned the use of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on its flights, and the UAE also has two low-priced airlines, flydubai and Air Arabia.
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The ban followed an announcement by manufacturer Samsung to recall all its Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after it was reported that several phones had exploded and caught fire during and after recharging.
Samsung recalled 2.5 million phones last week after reports emerged of the device exploding during or after charging.
“We advise South Korean consumers using the Galaxy Note 7 to stop using the device and to visit nearest service centres to take necessary steps”, Samsung said on its website.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 owners in Malaysia can replace their current device with a new one from Sept 29 onwards.
“However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note 7”.
Over the weekend, Philippine budget carrier Cebu Pacific also announced it was prohibiting the use and charging of the Note 7 units onboard its planes, following worldwide carriers such as Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Australia’s Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia.
The agency said Friday that it’s 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 7s are an “acceptable remedy”.
The FAA already warned airline passengers late Thursday not to turn on or charge the Galaxy Note 7 during flights and not to put the smartphone in their checked bags.
Three other airlines – Singapore Airlines, Australia’s Qantas, and Virgin Australia – have instituted bans on the device as well.
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The world’s largest smartphone maker is scrambling to recall as numerous devices as possible following more reports of the phones catching fire.
