FAA 'strongly advises' passengers not to turn on or charge new Samsung phone on aircraft

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday issued a statement "strongly advising" passengers not to turn on or charge Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on board aircraft and not to put them in any checked baggage.

The FAA said it was issuing the advisory "in light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung" about its Galaxy Note 7  devices.

Earlier, Samsung announced it was  suspending sales of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after finding batteries of some of the gadgets exploded while they were charging.


Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile business, said last Friday that customers who already bought Note 7s will be able to swap them for new smartphones, regardless of the purchasing date.

The announcement comes just two weeks after Samsung launched its latest flagship smartphone.

Some buyers reported their phones caught fire or exploded while charging, and Samsungsaid it had confirmed 35 such cases, caused by faulty batteries.

Samsung said it has sold more than 1 million Note 7 smartphones since the product's launch.