Virgin Australia bans all Apple MacBooks from checked-in luggage

Laptops are increasingly subject to security rules amid fears they could catch fire

Apple CEO Tim Cook presents new products, including new Macbook laptops, during a special event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Virgin Australia has banned all MacBooks from checked-in luggage, amid fears that the computers could catch fire.

The airline says that anyone with a MacBook will have to bring it onto the plane in their carry-on baggage, if they want to take it on a flight.

It comes as a variety of other airlines warn that specific Apple laptops are banned.

In June, Apple warned that specific laptops – some of its 15-inch MacBook Pros – had a battery issue that could mean they would heat up and pose a risk to anyone around them.

Since then, various airlines have banned those specific laptops. Earlier this month, for instance, US Federal Aviation Administration said the computers would be banned from flights in the US.

"The FAA is aware of the recalled batteries that are used in some AppleMacBook Pro laptops," the agency's spokesman said in an emailed statement on Monday, adding that the agency has "alerted airlines about the recall."

But the Virgin Australia ban goes further, affecting every single one of Apple's laptops, not only the 15-inch versions.

"Due to a worldwide recall by Apple of a number of Apple MacBook batteries, ALL Apple MacBooks must be placed in carry-on baggage only," a note on its website reads. "No Apple MacBooks are permitted in checked in baggage until further notice."

Apple's has launched a recall program for those with the affected laptops, as well as a special website that can be used to find out whether a computer is one of the limited number of devices that are affected by the concerns.