Qatar Airways CEO denied that an ongoing quarrel with the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus concerned paint job quality issues. The actual reason for the mysterious dispute remains unclear, as Qatar Airways and Airbus refuse to comment on specific details.
During an interview with Reuters on June 3, 2021, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker denied that the disagreement with Airbus concerned the Airbus A350 aircraft paint job quality issues. However, Al Baker further criticized European planemaker without giving specific details on the actual cause of the dispute, saying that Airbus “need to get real and they need to know that this problem will create industrial repercussions for them”.
Earlier in May 2021, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, Al Baker said that a “serious issue” would affect aircraft deliveries if the problem was unresolved. “If we are not able to settle that serious issue we have with them, we will refuse to take any aircraft from them”.
It was not the first time within a month when Qatar Airways CEO spoke strongly about the European aircraft giant Airbus. Previously in May 2021, Al Baker referred to the Airbus A380 aircraft saying that the purchase of the largest passenger aircraft was the airline’s biggest mistake.
“The biggest mistake we made was the purchase of Airbus A380s,” Al Baker said on May 26, 2021, adding that the double-decker does more damage than benefits both Qatar Airways and the environment. “We grounded the A380s simply because it is not a fuel efficient airplane.”