Aircraft maker Airbus is turning to smart industrial drones, data analytics and machine learning to make aircraft inspections easier and faster. One day while working on a shiny new Airbus A350 aircraft, Ronie Gnecco figured it was time to build a better relationship between drones and passenger airplanes. His bold idea to use flying robots for aircraft safety inspections worked so well it has -- among other projects -- it inspired aircraft manufacturer Airbus to move deeper into the industrial drone revolution. Within a couple of years, the company's intelligent unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) systems could be used for safety inspections at airports around the world, making planes safer with more on-time flight departures. To make that happen, Gnecco said it will require pioneering efforts from technology experts, regulators and airport authorities from around the world.