In a major embarrassment for Apple, some model of Macbook Pro has been banned across aircrafts, which are flying in India.
This means that if you are a MacBook Pro owner, and have bought the laptop within a specific period, then airport security will not allow you to carry the same inside airplanes.
Here are the 5 things you should know:
- This order to ban Apple Macbook Pro has been issued by The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), via a Tweet. This covers both domestic and international flights.
- The Macbook Pro laptops bought between September 2015 and February 2017 have been banned, “due to fears that their batteries may overheat and pose a safety risk”,
- This directive by DGCA, under Govt. of India has been issued after Apple recalled these 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops, sold between September 2015 and February 2017. Apple had said that time, “The recall does not affect any other 15-inch MacBook Pro units or other Mac notebooks,”
- In fact, India is among the last countries to announce the ban. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the American Federal Aviation Administration have already banned these specific models from flying in the airlines. Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways have also issued directives for the same.
- Now, the issue is, how will the security guards in the airport determine which Macbook Pro has to be stopped from being checked-in. Although Apple has released a mini-portal to check whether your MacBook Pro is defective or not, but during security checks in the airport, it is being speculated that the security will stop every MacBook Pro from getting checked-in.
Scary situation for MacBook Pro users in India and abroad.
Banning Smartphones In Flights In India
Indian civil aviation faced a similar threat and warning in 2016, when some models of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploded in the flights.
Then, DGCA had placed a blanket ban on all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 handsets, across India.
Considering the threat which laptops and their faulty batteries carry, The International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) is infact considering to ban all laptops across all flights.
Is this even fasible?
We will keep you updated, as more details come in.