Bad News For MacBook Owners! More Airlines Impose Ban Of Laptops In Checked Luggage Over Fire Threat

A day after the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) banned passengers from carrying some models of 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops by Apple in the flights, more airlines have followed the suit posing security threat.

(Representative Image: Getty)

New Delhi: A day after the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) banned passengers from carrying some models of 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops by Apple in the flights, more airlines have followed the suit posing security threat. DGCA had said that these laptops have been deemed fire hazard because their batteries can overheat. According to a report by news agency Bloomberg, even the Qantas Airways Ltd has barred some models from checked-in luggage on concern that batteries could catch fire. "All 15-inch versions of Apple Inc.’s MacBook Pro must be carried in the cabin and switched off," the airline was quoted as saying in an official statement. The rule went into effect Tuesday morning. Rival Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. went further on Aug. 26, banning all Apple laptops from checked-in luggage, report said. DGCA has made it clear that the banned MacBook Pro laptops will neither be allowed in checked-in baggage nor in hand-baggage unless they have their battery replaced or they have been deemed safe by Apple. Earlier Apple had issued a battery recall for some MacBook Pro laptops that company sold for nearly two years starting 2015. "Apple has determined that, in a limited number of older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro units, the battery may overheat and pose a fire safety risk. Affected units were sold primarily between September 2015 and February 2017 and product eligibility is determined by the product serial number," the tech giant had noted in its recall advisory. Soon after the Apple announcement, FAA, which is aviation regulator in the US, had banned the recalled MacBook Pro laptops from flights. Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Thai Airways  International PCL have already stopped passengers from taking any of the affected models on their aircraft. There is only a small batch of MacBook Pro laptops that have been affected but airport and flight security staff may not have a way to find out which MacBook Pro has been affected and which is not. This may result in an effective ban on all MacBook Pro laptops in flights, or at least may end up causing difficulties for fliers who carry a MacBook. However, the company website has provided a tool where a MacBook Pro user can find if their laptop has been affected or not. If it is part of the laptops that Apple has recalled, the company will replace its battery for free. There have been repeated incidents of phones, laptops and other devices overheating and catching fire in planes’ passenger compartments. The Bloomberg report also suggests that there have been at least three accidents, two of them fatal, on cargo airlines since 2006 in which lithium batteries were suspected of causing fires.