Boarding with Galaxy Note 7
Even though it was reported that the US government was considering prohibiting the Galaxy Note 7 which triggered concerns over a possibility of exploding from being brought on a flight, the Korean government decided not to so.
“We do not have any plan to ban the Galaxy Note 7 on airplanes and prohibit passengers from recharging on flights and make passengers turn off the device during flights,” said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport after collecting opinions about the battery issue in a meeting with representatives of Samsung Electronics in the afternoon of September 8.
“In regard to Galaxy Note 7 batteries, they have not exploded up to the present. Battery heat melted batteries so the batteries stuck to other things only,” said an official of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. “Besides, passengers board airplanes with their smartphones in their hands, they can immediately respond to their devices when their batteries go wrong. Accordingly, we think that there is no possibility of a fire.”
“If we face the worst case of battery explosion in the future, then, we can consider banning the Galaxy Note 7 on flights,” he added.
Earlier, “Gizmodo,” an ICT medium, reported on September 7 that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was considering banning the Galaxy Note 7 on airplanes. But as Samsung announced that they will recall all of the Galaxy Note 7 on September 2, the FAA did not immediately make a decision, according to Gizmodo.
This is not the first time that the US government expressed a negative opinion about devices with lithium-ion batteries due to concerns over battery explosion on airplanes. In February of this year, the FAA warned airliners that carrying lithium-ion batteries in cargo sections risks explosion that can damage airplane fuselages. A fire broke on the Boeing 747 in Dubai among others in 2010 and 2011 claimed the lives of some crew members. Afterwards, a battery-triggered fire on the Boeing 787 broke out, prompting the US government to show moves to reinforce related safety measures. The UN is also recommending airplanes not to load airplanes with cargos with lithium-ion batteries.
But it is difficult to find cases where the FAA prohibited passengers from carrying devices with lithium-ion batteries due to safety issues. “From last year to early this year, US Congress pushed forward with the establishment of a law that bans lithium-ion batteries on airplanes only to fail,” said a representative of an airliner. The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards dealing with safety issues such as recalls clarified its position that Samsung’s recall of all products will not cause big problems in terms of the safety of consumers.