The US Department
of Transportation has banned Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones on flights after
reports of the device catching fire.
Passengers will not
be able to take the phones on flights or in their luggage to and from the US
from 16:00 GMT on Saturday.
The Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) had previously advised against packing the phones
in luggage.
Samsung permanently
stopped Galaxy Note 7 production this week.
"We recognise
that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but
the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority,"
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.
"We are taking
this additional step because even one fire incident in-flight poses a high risk
of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk."
Samsung recalled
around 2.5 million phones in September after complaints of exploding batteries.
While it later
insisted that all replaced devices were safe, there were reports that those
phones were catching fire too.
The company then
said it would stop Galaxy Note 7 production.
"The fire
hazard with the original Note 7 and with the replacement Note 7 is simply too
great for anyone to risk it and not respond to this official recall," said
US Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Elliot Kaye.
"I would like
to remind consumers once again to take advantage of the remedies offered,
including a full refund. It's the right thing to do and the safest thing to
do."
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