Galaxy Note issue: Samsung executives meet DGCA officials

Senior executives of Samsung on Monday met officials of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, two days after one of the company’s high-end smartphones caught fire inside an IndiGo aircraft.

During the meeting, which lasted for more than an hour, the watchdog sought technical details about Galaxy Note series amid concerns over batteries of some of the devices getting overheated and exploding, sources said.

On September 23, a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 caught fire inside an IndiGo aircraft coming from Singapore during landing at the Chennai airport.

Following the incident, which was the first of its kind involving a Samsung Galaxy Note on board an aircraft in India, DGCA had summoned the company’s officials for a meeting.

DGCA would further examine the smartphone that caught fire, the sources said.

The incident happened within a fortnight of the regulator prohibiting the use of Galaxy Note 7 on board following a series of cases of the smartphone's battery exploding in various countries.

This model is yet to be launched in the Indian market. According to sources, Samsung executives told DGCA that Galaxy Note 7 manufactured till September 15 will not be sold in India in order to address battery issues.

About Monday’s meeting, DGCA spokesperson was not available for comment while Samsung did not offer any immediate comment.