India’s civil aviation regulator has said that passengers should not check-in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 phones. They have also said that the phones should not be switched on inside a flight.
This comes in the wake of reports of the device’s batteries exploding. The notice from DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) said:
In light of the recent incidents involving battery issue with Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices globally, travelling public and airlines are advised to ensure the following for the safety of aircraft operations and its occupants: 1) Not to turn on or charge Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mobile phone on board the aircraft. 2) Not to stow them in any checked-in baggage.
Earlier today, US authorities too issued a similar warning to passengers. In the meantime, Samsung has stopped sales of its Galaxy Note 7 devices and issued a global recall.
Samsung said in a statement that nearly 35 explosions have been reported until September 1st. “However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note 7,” the statement said.
“We are aware of the DGCA notice. Consumer safety and peace of mind are our top priority. Galaxy Note7 sales have not started in India, and we have delayed sales to alleviate any safety concerns. We plan to expedite new shipments of Galaxy Note7 soon to reduce any inconvenience for our customers,” a Samsung India spokesperson told FactorDaily.
Nearly 65.9 mn handsets were shipped in India during the April- June quarter out of which 28.7 mn were smartphones. Samsung is the market leader with 25.5% market share.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was supposed to go on sale in India on September 2, but following the recent developments, the launch was postponed and the device is not currently available for sale in the country.
Update: An earlier version said that the phones were banned from flight, that has been corrected. The copy has also been updated with Samsung India’s reaction.
Subscribe to FactorDaily
Our daily brief keeps thousands of readers ahead of the curve. More signals, less noise.
To get more stories like this on email, click here and subscribe to our daily brief.
Disclosure: FactorDaily is owned by SourceCode Media, which counts Accel Partners, Blume Ventures and Vijay Shekhar Sharma among its investors. Accel Partners is an early investor in Flipkart. Vijay Shekhar Sharma is the founder of Paytm. None of FactorDaily’s investors have any influence on its reporting about India’s technology and startup ecosystem.
