Virgin has become the first Australian airline to ban all Apple MacBooks from checked-in luggage amid fears about faulty batteries.

The ban comes into effect today, meaning the laptops can only be placed in carry-on baggage until further notice.

It comes after Apple issued a worldwide recall of older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops in June due to fire safety risks.

Passengers have been told it was too difficult for staff to tell the difference between the banned and safe models, resulting in the blanket ban.