SriLankan Airlines bans Samsung Note 7 on all aircraft

Sri Lanka’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines has imposed a total ban on the possession and use of the Samsung Note 7 phone on board SriLankan and Mihin Lanka aircraft with immediate effect.

The ban comes in the wake of a series of reports of the device catching fire, the national carrier said in a statement.  

“With the airline’s prime priority being the safety and wellbeing of passengers, the airline took immediate action to advise passengers against the carriage and usage of the device on board and prepared cabin crew members to assist passengers,” the statement read. 

With the imposition of a complete ban, the airline has taken measures to educate passengers through pre-boarding announcements and posters displayed at check-in counters.

The airline has also instituted a procedure in case a device is found on board any of its flights.

Following a ban by the US Federal Aviation Authority, Japan’s Transport Ministry ordered all the country’s airlines to implement a complete ban on the Note 7, including the country’s largest operators All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, international media reported on Tuesday. 

South Korea’s Asiana has banned Note 7s on all flights, while almost all mainland Chinese airlines, including Cathay Pacific, have also banned the device. Hong Kong’s international airport has prohibited passengers from carrying the device on any incoming or outgoing flights, either in checked or carry-on baggage, while Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express have both adopted the ban.

Australian and New Zealand airlines have banned the phone from all planes as have Singapore Airlines, Taiwan’s two biggest airlines China Airlines and EVA Air and Malaysia-based AirAsia.

Korean Air follows Government guidelines requiring Note 7s to be turned off in-flight and only allows them to be transported in carry-on luggage, operating a total ban on flights to and from the US, Canada and Hong Kong.

In Europe, Germany’s Air Berlin banned the Note 7 from flights from Saturday, while rival Lufthansa said that the device was banned on US flights and would soon be prohibited on all others. Italy’s flagship airline Alitalia joined in on initiating the ban too, while British Airways prohibits the Note 7 on flights going to the US, Canada and Hong Kong.

Several airlines have also started taking the precaution of fitting planes with new fire containment bags, which are designed to seal and prevent electronic devices that have caught fire from damaging the plane.