The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has warned air passengers not to fly with the older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops due to fears that their batteries may overheat and pose a safety risk.

“Consequent upon the recall of a limited number of older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops by Apple Inc (sold primarily between September 2015 and February 2017),” the DGCA has requested flyers not to fly with the affected models either in their handbags or checked-in bags.

The DGCA tweeted that the restrictions will remain in place until the battery has been verified/certified as safe or replaced by the manufacturer.

This is not the first time that the aviation watchdog has issued orders banning electronic devices in flyers’ checked-in or handbags. Previously, the aviation regulator banned a certain variety of mobile phones from being carried on flights.

The DGCA’s move comes even as several global airlines, including Singapore Airlines, which on August 25 asked its “customers to refrain from bringing the affected models either as hand-carry or in checked baggage until the battery has been verified as safe or replaced by the manufacturer”.

Recalled batteries

Earlier this month, the US aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned a certain variety of Apple MacBook Pro laptops on flights. Bloomberg reported that in a statement, the FAA said it was “aware of the recalled batteries that are used in some Apple MacBook Pro laptops” and stated that it alerted major US airlines about the recall.

The watchdog also reminded airlines to follow 2016 safety instructions for goods with recalled batteries, which means that the affected Apple laptops should not be taken on flights as cargo or in carry-on baggage by passengers, Bloomberg added.

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