Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia are amongst some of the airlines who have banned passengers taking the phone onboard
Airlines across the world have placed a ban on passengers carrying the Samsung Galaxy Note7 aboard their aircraft following the latest safety fears surrounding the device.
Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines, Air Berlin and Lufthansa are amongst those who have imposed the restrictions. The blanket ban applies to all luggage checked-in or carried on. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) also issued a restriction on passengers taking the smartphone on any aircraft travelling from, to or through the United States.
Samsung axed production of the product this month (October 11) after three incidents were reported of it catching fire. One involved a man in the US having been awoken at 4am by his Note7 covered in flames. There are no reported UK casualties.
It is the second time in two-months where the Note7’s safety has been questioned. Samsung first recalled 2.5 million handsets a month after launch on August 2 following 35 similar reports. Replacements were issued from September 19, which Samsung claimed were safe. Over 45,000 were sold in Europe through preorders, with the majority in the UK.
US Transportation secretary Anthony Foxx said: “We recognise that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority.
“We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk.”
US Consumer Product Safety Commission chairman Elliot F. Kaye added: “The fire hazard with the original Note7 and with the replacement Note7 is simply too great for anyone to risk it and not respond to this official recall.”
Mobile News has contacted the British Aviation Authority on how the recall will affect domestic flights in the UK.
