South African Airways has banned the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mobile phones on all of its flights as of this week.
“SAA has taken a decision to prohibit the [device]. The decision has been taken based on safety considerations in the interests of passengers, crew and property. The decision will be effective on all SAA flights from all stations globally as from tomorrow, Wednesday, 19 October,” said the national carrier.
The prohibition means the Galaxy Note7 device is prohibited completely and may not be carried by travellers on their persons, in carry-on baggage, in checked-in baggage or as cargo.
“We initially placed a restriction on the use of the device, where we prohibited the charging of this specific model on board our aircraft. However, the recall of the device by the manufacturer, based on safety considerations and the announcements made by regulatory authorities in some key markets we fly to, have left us with no option but to comply,” SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali said.
Subsequent to the announcement by the manufacture to recall the Galaxy Note7, regulators in various jurisdictions and countries have announced a ban on the device in respect of air transportation. The announcement by the regulators obligates SAA to implement and comply with such a ban, Tlali said.
The national carrier is enjoined by the International Air Transport Association (Iata) general provisions on safety to take steps to ensure the safety of its operations as and when goods and/or products have not met safety requirements.
Iata’s position is stated as follows: “Lithium batteries that have been recalled by the manufacturer for safety reasons must not be shipped by air.”
The Galaxy Note7 is powered by lithium batteries and has since been recalled by the manufacturer. The national carrier said the ban is only applicable to the Note7 and no other Samsung mobile devices.
“In the interests of standardising and maintaining operational safety and compliance with regulatory requirements, it has become necessary to prohibit this specific model on board our aircraft. We are aware that Samsung remains one of the most popular brands worldwide and the decision is not an outright ban of all Samsung mobile devices – it is limited to Galaxy Note7 only,” said Tlali.
SAA apologised to all its customers for the inconvenience this decision may lead to.
“The airline had to align in order to maintain the safety of its operations and to mitigate risk associated with non-compliance. The successful implementation of this decision anchors on customer cooperation and support. Travellers are encouraged to leave the device at home if they have not returned them to Samsung in response to the call made by the manufacturer.”
The airline said non-compliance with the prohibition may lead to confiscation of the devices and/or fines being imposed against passengers concerned.
The airline will accept no liability for devices that may be confiscated in the process of ensuring compliance with the prohibition. — SAnews