Qatar Airways halts A350 deliveries after jet surface problem

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DUBAI/PARIS — Qatar Airways mentioned on Tuesday the floor beneath the paint on a few of its Airbus A350s was deteriorating sooner than anticipated and insisted it could not take extra deliveries of the carbon-composite widebody jet till the issue was resolved.

The Gulf service has fallen out with the European planemaker, warning final week that Airbus confronted “industrial repercussions” if it didn’t resolve the dispute, whereas till now giving few particulars of the discussions.

“Qatar Airways continues to expertise and has witnessed a situation during which the floor beneath the paint on a few of its Airbus A350 plane has been degrading at an accelerated price,” an airline spokesperson mentioned in response to a Reuters question.

The airline has grounded some A350s “till the situation and root trigger will be understood and corrected,” the spokesperson mentioned, with out disclosing what number of plane had been affected.

“Qatar Airways would require this situation and its underlying root trigger to be totally understood and corrected earlier than the supply of any additional Airbus A350 plane.”

Qatar Airways additionally mentioned it was inspecting its total A350 fleet extra continuously to watch the situation intently.

An Airbus spokesperson mentioned the corporate was at all times in talks with its prospects however that such talks had been confidential.

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The Gulf airline is the biggest buyer for Europe’s newest long-haul jet and has taken supply of 53 out of 76 on order.

Qatar Airways Chief Government Akbar Al Baker final week urged the Airbus board to intervene within the dispute. Airbus and Qatar have intensive enterprise ties in each civil and protection and two sources mentioned broader points had been additionally at stake within the row.

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Qatar Airways has periodically criticized Airbus or its U.S. rival Boeing for delays or high quality lapses.

The airline says its exacting requirements mirror its premium model, though aerospace executives have accused it of seizing on such particulars prior to now to delay taking deliveries or acquire leverage in different negotiations, a suggestion it has denied.

Many airways have adjusted deliveries because of the pandemic-related journey downturn. Qatar Airways mentioned in June 2020 it could not take Boeing or Airbus jets in 2020 or 2021 and later that 12 months mentioned it had reached a deal on schedules with Airbus.

The newest dispute additionally shines a highlight on the destiny of a four-year-old Qatar Airways A350 that has been sitting in Toulouse since January, after initially being despatched by the airline to Eire to be repainted in World Cup 2022 livery.

Two trade sources mentioned issues had emerged when the previous paint was stripped away, triggering discussions over whether or not it was a one-off restore drawback or proof of deeper points.

The airplane was then despatched to a contractor in Toulouse that paints new jets on behalf of Airbus but in addition works for airways on current jets, which must be repainted each six years. It has remained there since Jan. 5, in accordance with monitoring information.

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A spokesman for the contractor, France-based Satys Group, mentioned there was no disagreement between Satys and Qatar Airways however declined additional remark.

Airbus mentioned it doesn’t touch upon buyer operations.

Portray an plane is expensive and technically demanding.

It takes 20 staff eight days to color an A350, whose pores and skin should address temperatures between -55 levels Celsius when flying to 40 levels on the bottom in sizzling climates just like the Gulf, in accordance with a Virgin Atlantic submit a few bigger A350 mannequin. (Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Modifying by Tim Hepher, Kirsten Donovan and Edmund Blair)