Airbus has started informing airlines that have ordered the new A350 that the new plane will have Nickel-Cadmium batteries, rather than lithium-ion batteries, the European plane maker told CNBC Thursday.
Airbus said the move is based entirely on reducing uncertainty in the program schedule — not due to any safety concerns.
Airbus will continue working on eventually using lithium-ion batteries in A350 models, but until questions about the reliability of those batteries are resolved, the European plane maker will use nickel-cadmium batteries.
The plane maker is on track on deliver the A350 late next year. The lithium-ion batteries, used to power Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, are the subject of a probe after technical problems at two of the planes prompted regulators worldwide grounded entire the fleet of 50 planes last month.
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