Qatar Airways open to ‘constructive’ dialogue with Airbus over A350 dispute

Qatar Airways open to ‘constructive’ dialogue with Airbus over A350 dispute

Doha: Qatar Airways is open to ‘constructively’ resolving issues with Airbus over the A350 aircraft, said its CEO Akbar Al Baker, as both companies are set to clash in a trial in 2023. “We are always open to constructively resolving issues but we cannot accept somebody not following the contract they have signed with us,” said Al Baker on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Doha. “At the moment, we are litigating and the date for the trial is already set by the judge.” Last month, a judge in a UK court decided a ‘speedy trial’ would be the right way to settle the bitter dispute between the two. A dispute that has its origins on the paint job done to the Airbus A350s delivered – and on order – to the Qatari flag carrier. The issue began in November 2020, when Qatar Airways discovered that paint was peeling off or missing on a five-year-old A350 jet. The airline also found cracks and damage to the plane’s lightning protection. Qatar Airways then asked Airbus to determine the root cause of the defects. Following an inspection, the airline claimed that Airbus had not provided satisfactory answers to about 980 defects