Owners of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 have been urged to stop using their phones amid fears they could explode. The Galaxy Note 7 unit must also not be stowed in any checked baggage, the budget carrier said.
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The fresh call from the Korean company, the world’s largest smartphone maker, came on Saturday after USA authorities urged consumers to switch the Note7 off and not to use or charge it during a flight.
The South Korean smartphone giant this month issued a global voluntary recall of some 2.5M of the Note7 due to a battery problem which some users have claimed has exploded or caught fire.
Samsung had announced last week that it will recall all the Note 7 phones that had been sold.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has warned passengers not to bring Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on its planes as it joins other airlines around the world in cautioning passengers against using them on flights.
Aviation authorities and airlines across the world have also issued bans or guidelines prohibiting passengers from turning on or charging the phone inside airplanes in response.
“We are advising that you power down your Note 7 and exchange it now… because your safety is our top priority”, the company said on its website on Saturday. Samsung SDI was responsible for about 65% of the Note 7 batteries.
Samsung has stopped selling the phone and initiated a “product exchange program”, that would allow customers to return their potential phone bombs.
The recent Galaxy Note 7 incidents have led to a warning from the Federal Aviation Administration, which is asking travelers to avoid turning on or charging the phone during flights.
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Consumers can visit Samsung’s service centers to receive rental phones for temporary use.
