South African Airways bans Samsung Galaxy Note 7

South African Airways (SAA) on Wednesday announced a ban on Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone following a number of incidents where a battery defect caused overheating that resulted in fires and explosions.

Passengers with Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones will not be allowed to board SAA flights, SAA said in a statement.

The decision was taken out of safety considerations in line with a directive by the International Air Transport Association, SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said.

"As a carrier mindful of safety, which is a number one priority in terms of our operations, we had to make a call that in order to ensure that we continue to fly passengers in a safe manner, we need to make a right call. And the call has been that the device has to be prohibited on all our flights and this is also in line with the decision that has been taken by the International Air Transport Association," Tlali said.

SAA said a spate of incidents involving battery explosions or fire outbreaks on some Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices mean allowing the device on plane poses a threat to passenger and flight safety.

According to the airline, the phone used a battery cell that has a high risk of exploding or catching flames while it is in use.

SAA said it had been monitoring the situation closely following a spate of reported incidents involving this specific Samsung model.

"The problem has now escalated to levels which pose a serious threat to flight safety," the airline said.

Most global airlines have banned Samsung Galaxy Note 7 since September after dozens of reported cases in which the smartphone batteries exploded or caught fire. Samsung has announced a recall of the smartphones.

Globally, the South Korean company has sold about 2.5 million units of Note 7 since the device was officially released in August. Endit