Lithium batteries have again hit the headlines relating to commercial aviation, but this time its the legitimate batteries shipping with Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7. Samsung is facing a public relations disaster after batteries on a number of the devices have caught fire or exploded, with the Korean electronics giant issuing a voluntary global recall.

A rapidly increasing number of airlines have outright banned the Galaxy Note 7 from their aircraft the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) put out a statement asking passengers not to use or charge their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones onboard.

Virtually all major airlines now have either an outright ban on the new smartphone in place, or have opted to advise passengers to switch off and not charge the phone onboard. The Cathay Pacific Group for instance, advised that: “In light of the recent recommendations by various aviation authorities regarding the use of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone on aircraft, we strongly advise our passengers that these devices should be powered off and not connected to any power source while onboard Cathay Pacific and Dragonair flights. Additionally, these devices must be kept out of checked baggage.”

Lithium batteries will be a hot topic discussed at the upcoming Payload Asia Conference, for more information please visit the Payload Asia Conference 2016 website.