Airbus Switches A350’s Battery to Avoid 787 Lithium Woes

Airbus SAS said it decided to use standard batteries in its new A350 aircraft and jettison the lithium-ion power source that grounded Boeing Co (BA).’s competing 787 Dreamliner.

The change is being made to avoid any similar problems or certification issues with the A350, Marcella Muratore, a spokeswoman, said by telephone.

The global 787 fleet was grounded on Jan. 16 following a fire on a Japan Airlines Co. plane that U.S. safety experts determined had originated in a lithium-ion battery.

Airbus has said that the electrical design of the A350 and its lithium batteries would be more conservative than in the Dreamliner. The Toulouse, France-based manufacturer still believes that to be the case, though is going the more conservative route to ensure that the program doesn’t suffer difficulties on the road to certification, Muratore said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andrea Rothman in Toulouse at aerothman@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Benedikt Kammel at bkammel@bloomberg.net