From Patrick Juneau, A/Director, Policy and Regulatory Services, Transport Canada:
On 14 August 2019, the Globe and Mail reported a US ban of select MacBook Pro laptops from flights as the batteries pose a fire risk.
In June 2019, Apple voluntarily recalled some MacBook Pro units sold between September 2015 and February 2017. Apple determined that, in a limited number of older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro units, the battery may overheat and pose a fire safety risk. Customers may get a replacement battery from Apple free of charge as part of the recall process.
TC has consulted internally on this issue and we reached out to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for information. We’ve confirmed that the FAA have not taken any additional measures in this matter; they have simply re-iterated an existing requirement as it concerns damaged or defective lithium-ion batteries, which applies to recalled products. This is in response to queries from US air carriers and US air carriers were referred to a Safety Alert for Operators issued by the FAA in 2016 (see attached).
At this time, we are not planning on taking any additional measures. We reiterate that the same restrictions exist in Canada and cover the same issue; this aligns with the US approach. The same rules apply to any damaged or defective lithium batteries.
