Bringing a relief to Samsung ahead of a busy festival season, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has lifted the ban imposed on new Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
On September 9, DGCA had passed an order preventing the aviation travelers from using Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on flights following the issue of blast reported at several places. It had asked the passengers not to switch on or charge the phones on airplanes and not to put them in the checked-in baggage.
Now the new order has lifted the stated restriction for the devices purchased after 15 September 2016, DGCA said in a notification. According to Samsung, the safe devices will feature a green battery status indicator. The company has not started the sales in India and has assured that it will sell only safe units to the country.
"It is important to note Samsung has not sold a single unit of Galaxy Note 7 in India so far. The green battery icon will apply to all Galaxy Note 7 units that will be sold to customers in India when it is launched. We recognize the inconvenience this has caused to customers, fliers and airline authorities, and remain committed to customer safety,” Samsung India spokesperson is reported to have said to various media.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been at the center of controversy for nearly a month. An estimated 35 units of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 were reported to have blasted due to the battery issue. This led the company to recall the devices. The smartphones in China remained unaffected as they used the battery from a different manufacturer. Besides DGCA, several other airplane safety regulators globally including the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had banned flyers from carrying Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in check-in bags.
