Indonesian airline bans use of Galaxy Note 7 phone during flight

Sept. 2, 2016, file photo, a woman walks by an advertisement of the Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 7 smartphone at the company’s showroom in Seoul, South Korea. The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday night, Sept. 8, 2016, that because of recent fire reports involving the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, passengers shouldn’t use or charge one or stow one in checked baggage. The three biggest U.S. airlines: American, Delta and United, said Friday that they were studying the FAA warning but it was unclear how they would make sure that passengers keep the Samsung devices powered off. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

Indonesian leading carrier, PT Garuda Indonesia, on Sunday banned passengers from using or charging Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in all flights following a battery fire incident, an airline official said.

The decision was made after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told passengers not to use the smartphone following a recall of all the products due to a problem on its battery, according to Vice President Corporate Communication Benny S. Butarbutar.

“Garuda Indonesia asks all passengers not to operate mobile phone during flight due to the advisory from the FAA on the use of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone,” he said in a statement.

“Therefore, Garuda Indonesia urges passengers not to turn on or recharge the battery or place the mobile phone in baggage facility,” Butarbutar said.

He said the airline will evaluate the call until the FAA issue a new guideline.

On Sept. 2, Samsung Electronics said in Seoul that it has decided to recall all of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones sold worldwide as some of the gadgets were founded faulty in battery.

Koh Dong-jin, head of Samsung’s mobile division, told reporters that a total of 35 complaints had been filed with its service centers at home and abroad for the Galaxy Note 7’s battery problem as of Sept. 1. (People’s Daily)