Cathay Pacific and Dragonair ban use of new Samsung Galaxy phones on planes

Consumer Council urges people to stop using the products immediately due to risk of batteries exploding

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A Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone after the battery exploded. Photo: SMP Pictures

Published: 10:15pm, 10 Sep 2016Updated: 4:05pm, 13 Sep 2016

Cathay Pacific and Dragonair have banned passengers from using Samsung’s problematic Galaxy Note 7 smartphone on their planes or placing them in checked luggage, while the Civil Aviation Department urged other airlines to address the issue.

A fault with the battery design has caused dozens of the phones to explode in the United States, prompting the country’s consumer protection agency and Federal Aviation Administration to issue warnings against using them on planes.

The Consumer Council in Hong Kong said on Saturday it had become “highly concerned” about the battery issue and warned people to stop using the phones immediately. It released a statement urging the manufacturer to recall the phones as soon as possible, along with an incident report for the cause of the problem and a reassurance that such incidents would not be repeated in future.

The Galaxy Note 7 smartphone was released to much fanfare only a few weeks ago as Samsung’s flagship product to counter the release of Apple’s iPhone 7 on Friday.

The US warnings were echoed by a rising wave of global warnings in Europe and across Asia on Friday and Saturday.

“In light of the recent recommendations by various aviation authorities regarding the use of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone on aircraft, we strongly advise our passengers that these devices should be powered off and not connected to any power source while onboard Cathay Pacific and Dragonair flights,” a Cathay spokesman said in a statement on Saturday.