Flying with Apple MacBook Pro? You must pay attention to this! Almost every flight operator in India has banned Apple MacBook Pro in India.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Indian government’s aviation regulatory body, has imposed a ban on some old models of Apple’s MacBook Pro laptops due to concerns of fire hazards.
The safety concern came to light when Apple issued a voluntary recall in June 2019 flagging all 15-inch MacBook Pro models sold primarily between September 2015 and February 2017 as fire hazards due to overheating of their built-in batteries.
Citing safety concerns, many other airlines, including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EUASA), Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Thai Airways International PCL, have also fully or partially banned these models from flights unless the battery has been replaced by Apple.
Fire hazards due to overheating batteries have been a major concern in air travel. Samsung took the spotlight with this issue when the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone was recalled twice and discontinued permanently after a sequence of battery fire incidents. Thus, it does not come as a surprise that flight regulation authorities would take such quick action on the matter.
Apple has issued a recall, asking its customers to stop using the MacBook Pro Retina,15-inch, Mid 2015 laptops immediately, and to have the batteries replaced without delay. The eligibility for recall can be determined by using the product’s serial number. Though the process can take one to two weeks, Apple has stated that the replacing of batteries will be done free of charge.
Is Your MacBook Pro Eligible for Recall?
To know if your MacBook Pro meets the recall eligibility you’ll have to know its model name and provide its serial number. To find the information, open your MacBook Pro and click on the Apple icon on the top left corner of the menu bar. Select “About This Mac” in the menu.
This will open a Tab with information about your MacBook. The model name is displayed below the version of the macOS. Confirm if it is “MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015).”
The serial number is displayed at the bottom of the list. You’ll have to provide it to apple using the 15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program at support.apple.com.
If your MacBook Pro is eligible for recall, you’ll be requested to stop using it and provided with instructions on how to have your battery replaced.
