Samsung’s troubled Galaxy Note 7 phablet is being banned by airlines around the world after reports of replacement devices catching fire.
Samsung has pulled its flagship phone entirely and urged customers to turn off and return the potentially hazardous devices.
Airlines in the United States banned it last week, with the result that carriers flying to the US had to also prevent people from taking large smartphones on board.
A domino effect is now seeing airlines in Australia, Asia and Europe ban the devices entirely.
Japan’s transport ministry has ordered airlines to completely ban the Note 7 while Air Berlin, Virgin Australia and Italy’s flagship airline Alitalia have also taken the drastic step.
Almost all mainland Chinese airlines as well as South Korea’s Asiana, Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express have also banned the Note 7.
Hong Kong’s international airport has prohibited passengers from carrying it on any incoming or outgoing flights.
British Airways is refusing to allow the Note 7 on flights going to the US, Canada and Hong Kong.
Many airlines are fitting their planes with fire-containment bags designed specifically to deal with electronic devices which have caught fire.
In September Samsung issued a recall of the original exploding devices after dozens of them caught fire or emitted smoke.
Samsung blamed faulty batteries and began to issue replacement handsets, which it claimed were completely safe.
However a flight in the US was then evacuated before it could take off when one of the newer models began to emit smoke.