Air Passengers Warned Not To Use Galaxy Note 7

Airline passengers should not turn on or charge their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones during flights or stow them in checked baggage, US aviation officials have said.

The warning comes a week after Samsung suspended Note (Stockholm: NOTE.ST - news) 7 sales, following reports that a battery problem led to some devices catching fire during charging.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it "strongly advises" passengers to follow its guidance "in light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices".

It is extremely unusual for aviation officials to warn passengers about a specific product.

United Continental Holdings Inc, American Airlines (Xetra: A1G.DE - news) Group Inc and Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL - news) did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the FAA advisory.

A spokesman for Washington-based trade group Airlines for America, said the group was "closely monitoring any developments as this issue evolves".

Last week, Samsung recalled 2.5 million Note 7 devices after confirming 35 cases of its rechargeable lithium batteries catching fire.

Most explosions occurred while the battery was being charged.

In one case, a family in Florida reported that their device left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.

Samsung launched the latest version of the Note series on 19 August.

The South Korean company said in a statement last week that it would take about two weeks to prepare replacement devices.

A statement from Samsung UK said: "We are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market.

"However, because our customers' safety is an absolute priority, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note 7.

"For UK customers who already have Galaxy Note 7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) ."