Passengers warned not to use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones on planes amid fire fears

Passengers are being warned not to turn on or charge their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones on planes, or stow them in checked baggage, amid reports that some of the phablets are catching fire due to exploding batteries.

The warning comes from the US's Federal Aviation Administration, after Samsung announced last week that it was to halt sales of the smartphone following the reports.

The tech giant has promised to prepare replacement devices for phones which have already been sold, and following the warning it said it would start shipments of the new device imminently "in order to alleviate any safety concerns and reduce any inconvenience for our customers".

Samsung said it has sold more than 2.5 million Note 7 smartphones since the product's launch.