Apple’s MacBook Pro Banned From Flights For Fire Risk, FAA Orders

Apple’s MacBook Pro receives a flight ban order from the FAA due to the presence of fire risk.

On Tuesday, the US Federal Aviation Administration announced that they issued a banning order on some of the Apple MacBook Pro series. The said hold order was due to the fire safety risk that the battery of the units possesses. The ban covers not only the check-in cargo but even the carry-on luggage as well as reminding the passengers to observe the 2016 safety instructions in handling batteries with a recall order.

The FAA ban came out days after Apple issued a recall on batteries of some of the released Apple laptops that are at risk of overheating and could pose a public safety risk. The battery recall order was for the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pros released between September 2015 and February 2017.

The abovementioned administration already implements prohibiting any manufacturer identified defective, lithium batteries and devices using the said type of batteries with existing recall order from air cargo shipment. The said implementation is enforced under their existing regulation which also covers prohibiting any passenger to carry any defective lithium battery or lithium battery-operated devices with safety risk or with an existing recall order.

MacBook Pro carriers of the said batch were advised to wait for the replacement of their batteries which usually takes them up to two weeks. They were also advised to switch off their laptops and not to turn them on until the completion of the battery replacement and unit repair.

Total Cargo Expertise such as Thomas Cook Airlines, TUI Group Airlines, Air Italy and Air Transat issued the same ban order on the said Apple’s MacBook Pro series. The notice to employee warning stated the prohibiting on board on any of their mandate carriers the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro laptop sold between September 2015 and February 2017.

Meanwhile, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued regional airlines a warning on the first week of August about Apple's MacBook Pro. They went on to remind their employees to follow the 2017 rules requiring devices powered by lithium batteries with recall order to be turned off throughout the flight.