Samsung puts Galaxy Note 7 sale on hold to address battery issue

A SAMSUNG NOTE 2 PHONE HAD CAUGHT FIRE INSIDE AN INDIGO FLIGHT, LEADING TO DGCA SUMMONING COMPANY EXECUTIVES

NEW DELHI: Senior Samsung executives have told officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that the Galaxy Note 7 phones that have been manufactured till September 15 will not be sold in India in order to address battery issues.

The Galaxy Note 7 is likely to be launched in India later this week.

A Samsung Note 2 smartphone had caught fire inside a Chennaibound IndiGo flight last Friday, prompting the aviation regulator to order a probe and summon the company executives.

The incident came barely a fortnight after the DGCA banned flyers from carrying the latest Samsung phone, Galaxy Note 7, in check-in bags. The regulator prohibited the phone’s use on board after complaints that its batteries can catch fire.

The DGCA has also issued an advisory to airlines, asking them to caution passengers to avoid using Samsung Note series phones on board. Samsung did not offer comments for the story.

Monday’s meeting, sources said, lasted for over an hour, with DGCA officials seeking technical details about Galaxy Note series following concerns over batteries of some of the devices overheating and exploding. DGCA sources said they were examining the smartphone that had caught fire.

The IndiGo aircraft had landed safely after the crew retrieved the smoking phone and put it in a container filled with water in the lavatory.