Airbus drops lithium-ion batteries for A350

European planemaker Airbus has decided to drop lithium-ion batteries for its next A350 passenger jet in the wake of battery problems on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, its spokesman said on Friday.

Airbus will instead use traditional nickel-cadmium batteries for the aircraft.

Reuters reported last month that Airbus was considering such a move to limit development risks on its $15 billion airliner.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Dominique Vidalon)