One thing that airline regulators take very seriously is anything that could even remotely put a flight in danger and usually, they move swiftly to tackle the source of the problem. Earlier this year it emerged that Apple had decided to replace the batteries in MacBook Pro laptops that had been manufactured during a particular period. The batteries in those laptops had been found to be faulty and prone to catching fires. The development had been noted by the Federal Aviation Administration, the airline regulator in the United States and those models of the MacBook Pro were banned in flights earlier on this month. In a new development, it seems that other regulators have taken note of the measure by the FAA and it has emerged that India might be the next nation to ban these particular models of the MacBook Pro in flights.
Singapore Airlines is one of the major operators in India and operates plenty of flights going in and out of the country on a daily basis. On its website, the company stated that after Apple did a limited recall of the laptops produced between September 2015 and February 2017, the airline is going to ban those laptops from its flights.
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In the statement, Singapore Airlines said,
Customers are 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.
It would mean that flight in India operated by the airline will not allow these particular models on its planes. However, a leading newspaper in India has reported that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the airline regulatory body in the country, is exploring the option of banning those laptops from flights in India.
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An official in the DGCA stated that the matter is being discussed and the possibility of a ban on these Apple laptops is not completely out of the question. More importantly, the FAA has also gone on to declare that laptops that have had their batteries replaced are not going to be allowed on flights either and it remains to be seen if the Indian regulator takes such a hard-line stance or not. It is a major issue for professionals who may own one of these MacBook Pro models and it remains to be seen how other airline regulators respond to the issue.
