India too bans use of Samsung's Galaxy Note7 on flights

India has joined the United States, Australia, Singapore and others in prohibiting the use of Samsung’s Galaxy Note7 on its airlines.

India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced that travellers in the country should stop using the Note7 in flights. It further advised passengers to not pack or store the phone in their check-in baggage. India is not alone in banning the Note7 from its flights. The United States, Australia. Singapore, the UAE, Pakistan and the Philippines have also issued similar advisories for their respective airlines. "The ministry has advised airlines and travelling public not to turn on or charge the said mobile during flights. This has been done in light of several incidents globally, involving the battery of Samsung Galaxy Note7. Passengers have also been advised not to stow them in their check-in baggage," the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.

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The ironic bit here is Samsung hasn't started selling the Galaxy Note7 in India, yet. The phablet was scheduled to go on sale starting Sept. 2 but the company delayed it amid the battery fiasco.

"We are aware of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) notice. Consumer safety and peace of mind are our top priority. Galaxy Note7 sales have not started in India, and we have delayed sales to alleviate any safety concerns. We plan to expedite new shipments of Galaxy Note7 soon to reduce any inconvenience for our customers," a Samsung spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The advisory comes amid a global ban on sales of the Samsung Galaxy Note7. A month after unveiling the Note7, the South Korean company announced that it was halting sales of the phone as it had found nearly three-dozen cases of Note7’s battery heating or exploding. The company hasn’t issued a recall of the device from its existing customers but has advised them to stop using the Galaxy Note7. The phone maker told its customers over the weekend to “immediately” return the device at a nearby Samsung store, and get a replacement.

This is the first time any smartphone manufacturer has banned sales of a flagship phone after faulty battery issues. This unprecedented move has also created challenges for airlines, who have to now ensure that their customers aren't carrying the Galaxy Note7. Though they had a similar ban on hoverboards last year, the number of people carrying a Galaxy Note7 could easily outnumber hoverboard users. Samsung shipped over 2.5 million Note7 units before halting the sales. The timing of the ban has been especially unfortunate for Samsung, as only a week later its global rival Apple unveiled its flagship smartphones. Predictably, this is also reflecting on Samsung’s shares, which have fell by as much as 5.5 percent since August 24. On Friday, the company's shares tumbled by 3.9 percent, wiping out about $19 billion in the company's market value. In the meantime, Samsung, which holds the tentpole position in Android market by value and shipment numbers, is now refueling its marketing efforts for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, the company's flagship phones launched earlier this year.