DGCA LIFTS BAN ON NEW LOT OF GALAXY NOTE7 SMARTPHONES

NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has partially lifted the ban on use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in flights, allowing passengers to use the device purchased after September 15, which has a “green battery charge indication”. The ban remains on Galaxy Note 7 manufactured before September 15 and having a white battery charge indication on the screen.

“Customers can identify the new Galaxy Note7 with the ‘green battery icon’. Devices displaying this visual icon are safe to charge and use during the flight,” the company quoted the aviation regulator as saying in a statement.

The Note7 is not available in India currently.

“It is important to note that Samsung has not sold a single unit of Galaxy Note7 in India so far. The ‘green battery icon’ will apply to all Galaxy Note7 units that will be sold to customers in India when it is launched,” a Samsung spokesperson said, adding, the company “recognises the inconvenience the advisory has caused to flyers and airline authorities, and remain committed towards customer safety.”

Earlier, on September 9, the DGCA had issued a public notice prohibiting the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on flights even on flight mode. The DGCA’s decision came after the US aviation safety watchdog advised passengers not to turn on or charge their new Note 7 smartphones during flights, following reports of the device catching fire worldwide.

On September 23, a Samsung Note 2 smartphone caught fire inside IndiGo’s Singapore-Chennai international flight with 175 passengers on board, leading to a major safety scare. The scare prompted the aviation regulator to order a probe.