Cape Town - Comair has announced that, in line with a new ruling by the South Africa Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), customers may not board their aircraft with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.
This applies to all aircraft operated by Comair Limited in southern Africa: British Airways (operated by Comair) and kulula.com.
This step is in compliance with precautions taken by regulators and aviation authorities worldwide to safeguard their customers and crew, following Samsung’s recall of the device, several of which have caught fire, reportedly due to battery faults.
Erik Venter, CEO of Comair says: “The safety of our crew and passengers is always our foremost priority. We have monitored all developments around the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 issue very closely and have maintained close contact with the SACAA on the matter.
“The SACAA has ruled that customers may not transport the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in carry-on baggage, or in checked baggage, or on their person.
“Customers boarding British Airways (operated by Comair) or kulula.com flights will be asked at check-in and when boarding doors close, whether they’re carrying the device, and if so, they’ll be offloaded from the flight.
“Before the aircraft’s doors are closed, customers will be asked to identify themselves to the crew if they’re carrying the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and will be offloaded from the flight.”
Adapted from a press release for IOL