Thai Airways International (THAI) has joined other airlines in banning the use of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 onboard and in checked baggage, while Samsung is telling owners worldwide to turn in all Note 7 smartphones as soon as possible.
Pratana Patanasiri, THAI vice-president for aviation safety, said the national carrier was asking passengers not to use or charge new Note 7 devices onboard or put them in checked baggage as they were being recalled globally and their sales were being suspended.
He also advised passengers that in general, they should inform flight attendants if their electronic devices broke, became abnormally hot, were lost during flights or slipped into spaces between seats.
He said the action was in line with the safety directives of THAI and the European Aviation Safety Agency. Aviation authorities in Japan and the United States have issued the same warnings.
Airports of Thailand Plc is also asking travellers through its six main airports in the country not to put Note 7 phones in checked baggage.
The growing list of other airlines that have imposed the same ban includes Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Etihad, SAS and Virgin Australia.
In a statement on Saturday, Samsung said all users of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones subject to the global recall should turn in their devices as soon as possible. It said it was working to expedite shipments of replacement phones promised in the recall announced last week due to faulty batteries that could cause the premium smartphone to catch fire.
In the Thai market, sales of the Note 7, including deliveries to customers who pre-booked units, will all be from newly produced lots, the company said. Pre-booking in Thailand began on Aug 19.
"Pre-booking customers can also be assured that they will receive a newly produced unit before the sales begin in Thailand," it added.
Samsung introduced the Note 7, its high-end flagship and main rival to the Apple iPhone, amid great fanfare on Aug 2. But within days reports began to emerge of batteries catching fire during charging.
The company last week admitted the problem was caused by a faulty battery cell and announced an unprecedented recall of up to 2.5 million of the devices that had already been shipped. It also postponed the launch of the product in countries where it had not yet been introduced.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has also advised consumers to turn off their Note 7s and stop charging them.
Samsung said that 35 cases of battery problems had been reported worldwide. Analysts estimate the recall will cost the company about $1 billion.
Samsung shares fell 3.9% in trading in Seoul on Friday, the biggest one-day decline since January.