Qatar Airways sues Airbus for accelerating wear of the A350

The airline and the aircraft manufacturer have been arguing for some time about the accelerated wear of the fuselage surface. As a result, Qatar Airways has to keep 21 A350s on the ground.

Airbus denies there is a safety problem. The plane’s manufacturer recently indicated that EASA also believes the shortages have no consequences for the plane’s airworthiness.

Not a constructive solution

Now it is up to the judge in London to decide. “Unfortunately, we were unable to reach a constructive solution with Airbus regarding the accelerated surface corrosion of the Airbus A350,” Qatar Airways said in a press release. So the airline says it has no other choice “but to try to quickly resolve this dispute through the courts”.

Qatar Airways believes that Airbus should conduct a thorough investigation into the problem “to definitively determine the underlying cause”. Otherwise, the company will not be able to verify whether the proposed repairs are sufficient.