EasyJet to use drones for inspections to cut costs

LONDON (Reuters) - British low-cost carrier easyJet said it would be the first airline to use drones to help maintain its fleet to keep a lid on its costs.

The airline said drones - aircraft that do not have a pilot on board - would be used to carry out aircraft checks, cutting down on the time it takes to make inspections, and it would also replace printed charts and log books with electronic ones to cut onboard weight and save on fuel costs.

"We are applying a range of new technologies to the aviation sector for the first time to help us run our fleet of aircraft more effectively, efficiently and safely," the FTSE 100 airline's Chief Executive Carolyn McCall said in a statement on Wednesday.

It said it would start using drones next year after trials in coming months.

Shares in easyJet were trading up 2.2 percent at 1,703 pence at 0842 GMT, after it earlier said the later timing of Easter helped boost its April passenger numbers by 10 percent compared to the year earlier period.

(Reporting by Sarah Young, Editing by Paul Sandle)