The Office of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) — India’s aviation watchdog and regulator — on Monday, issued a public notice regarding the transportation of “older generation 15‐inch MacBook Pro laptops” by air. Citing the recall of these limited number of these MacBook Pro laptops, the DGCA has banned carrying these laptop models through airplanes.
Apple recalled these laptops which were primarily sold between September 2015 and February 2017 fearing that their batteries may overheat. And overheated lithium batteries often pose a safety risk.
The DGCA has advised in the notice to the public “not to fly with the affected models either as hand‐baggage or checked‐in baggage until the battery has been verified/certified as safe or replaced by the manufacturer.”
In September 2016, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 was reported for battery failures and fires. The problem was so widespread that this model was recalled by Samsung following the incident. Also, Note 7 was the first device that was banned on airlines. Now, certain old gen MacBook Pro laptops will share the same fate.
In case a passenger is observed carrying the device on board, he/she is advised to keep the device turned off and not charge it at any time. Also, they’re recommended to protect it from accidental activation (also disabling any features that may turn it on).
Major foreign airlines that fly to India including Thai, Singapore and Cathay Pacific have banned this model of MacBook Pro. People carrying this particular MacBook Pro are advised to visit Apple’s MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program page. The DGCA issued notice is valid for domestic as well as international flights.
