FAA prohibits recalled MacBook Pros from flights

Some Macbook Pros have been banned from flights by US aviation safety regulators. The move comes less than two months after Apple recalled the older laptops over a risk of battery fire.

The Federal Aviation Administration, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg, said it was "aware of the recalled batteries that are used in some Apple MacBook Pro laptops" and in July had alerted major US airlines of the recall. It also reminded carriers that rules issued in 2016 prohibit transporting products that have been the subject of a safety recall either in the cabin or as cargo until they have been repaired of replaced.

Apple initiated the voluntary recall in June, warning that 15-inch Pros sold between September 2015 and February 2017 "contain a battery that may overheat and pose a safety risk." The company also asked customers to stop using the affected units.

In the past couple of years, the use of lithium-ion batteries has been linked to fires and spewing smoke in a slew of products, including Samsung's now-canceled Galaxy Note 7, hoverboards and Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

The FAA issued a warning about the batteries in 2016, urging airlines to examine the risks associated with transporting lithium batteries as cargo, including "the potential risk for a catastrophic hull loss." The alert covered batteries being transported as components and not those already inside devices such as laptops, tablets, phones or hoverboards.

Earlier this year, the FAA issued new rules that prohibit airlines from transporting lithium-ion batteries and cells as cargo on passenger aircraft.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.