Airbus canceled its whole outstanding order from Qatar Airways for A350 passenger aircraft.
The manufacturer revoked the remainder of the undelivered order, which consisted of 19 A350-1000 jets dedicated to joining Qatar Airways’ fleet, two unidentified sources confirmed to Reuters on August 3, 2022.
The recent is the latest development in the dispute between Airbus and Qatar Airways over fuselage surface deterioration on A350 aircraft.
The disagreement began in late 2021. At the time, the airline sued the manufacturer with the aim of receiving up to $600 million in compensation. In response, Airbus attempted to terminate a separate delivery agreement, which involved 50 A321neo jets due to be delivered to the Doha-based carrier.
However, in April 2022, the court ruled in favor of Airbus, authorizing the planemaker to not fulfill its contractual obligation to deliver a separate order of A321neo jets to the airline.
As Qatar Airways had refused to take delivery of some of the A350s, the court also allowed the planemaker to sell the aircraft to other Airbus customers, arguing that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) ensured they are safe to be operated.
In mid-June 2022, the EU regulator announced it had not found any evidence that suggested paint or surface erosion on Qatar Airways’ order of A350s posed a safety concern.