Aircraft Industry: Airbus says it has a Plan B for A350 jet batteries

Airbus A350

Airbus plans to use lithium-ion batteries on the A350, similar to the technology incorporated in Boeing's 787 airliners, and so far has stood by the modern power packs.


"We studied the integration of these batteries on the A350 very carefully," Airbus Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier told a group of French aerospace journalists on Thursday. "I am very relaxed about this."

The first U.S. grounding of a new model of passenger jet in over 30 years has focused attention on the risks that lithium-ion batteries can overheat and ignite a fire that is harder to put out than most flames, because of the solvents involved.

Airbus warned about the risks of lithium-ion batteries at a closed meeting of airlines in March 2011, according to a presentation first reported by Reuters this week.

Airbus has declined to say whether the A350 would include battery fire extinguishers, but industry sources say burning materials would instead be expelled outside the plane and that the fire hazard is reduced by electronics also provided by Saft.


Read more: Airbus says it has a Plan B for A350 jet batteries | Reuters

Aircraft Industry: United considers Airbus A350s to replace Boeing 747s - by Andrea Rothman and Mary Jane Credeur

United Continental Holdings is in talks with Airbus about buying A350-1000 jets, a step toward the first U.S. purchase for the planemaker's largest twin-engine model, people familiar with talks said.

The world's biggest airline is considering the 350-seat plane to replace older Boeing 747s, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. United already has agreed to buy 25 of the mid-sized A350-900 variant under a 2009 deal that included 25 of Boeing's 787 Dreamliners.

A United order would help Toulouse, France-based Airbus in its effort to loosen Boeing's grip on the market for large twin- aisle aircraft. Airbus had suffered cancellations and a four- year A350-1000 order drought until July. United has said it's also looking at what Boeing will offer as a successor to its 777, the Chicago-based planemaker's biggest two-engine model.

Read more: United considers Airbus A350s to replace Boeing 747s | HeraldNet.com - Work