The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has issued a safety guideline for airlines and aviation safety officials handling passengers who carry the Galaxy Note 7 during flights, following a global recall of the malfunctioning device.
Following advice given by US and the European air safety regulators for passengers to avoid using and charging Galaxy Note 7s on planes and not to stow the device in any checked luggage, the CAAT has now issued a similar announcement.
Samsung Electronics is urging consumers worldwide to stop using Galaxy Note 7 smartphones immediately and exchange them as soon as possible, as more reports of the phones catching fire have emerged even after the company's global recall.
The company recalled 2.5 million phones last week, and says it has confirmed 35 cases of the Galaxy Note 7 catching fire as of Sept 1, most of them while the battery was being charged.
Dated Sept 10 and signed by Chula Sukmanop, director-general of Department of Airports and acting CAAT director, the announcement says air passengers are prohibited from keeping the Galaxy Note 7 in any checked luggage.
Passengers are allowed to bring the Galaxy Note 7 on board a plane but are required to switch it off and not charge the device while on the plane, says the announcement.
The announcement also indicates passengers are responsible for promptly reporting any incidents to airport authorities. Passengers should warn authorities if they detect overheating in the device or smoke coming from it.
They should also warn authorities if they lose the device or accidentally drop it on the floor. Airlines and airport officials are required to inform all passengers of the announcement.
Thai Airways International and its budget subsidiary Thai Smile Airways have joined other carriers in banning the Galaxy Note 7 from checked baggage and banned passengers using them on board.
Bangkok Airways, Nok Air and AirAsia are now following suit by adopting similar safety precautions.
Nok Air went the furthest by banning the charging of all mobile phones and other battery-powered devices while on board its planes.
Nok air passengers are allowed to use smartphones in flight mode while in mid-air as usual, except Galaxy Note 7s.
They also are prohibited from leaving any mobile phones or battery-powered electronic devices in checked luggage.
Samsung's mobile business chief Koh Dong-Jin has said the faulty rate was about 24 units per each million sold and that it would take a couple of weeks to arrange for replacements.