Qatar Airways sues Airbus in A350 jet damage dispute – Reuters

Qatar Airways sues Airbus in A350 jet damage dispute – Reuters

PARIS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Qatar Airways said on Monday it had started proceedings in a UK court against planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) in a bid to resolve a dispute over skin flaws on A350 passenger jets, bringing the two sides closer to a rare legal showdown over aviation safety.

The companies have been locked in a row for months over damage, including blistered paint and corrosion to a sub-layer of lightning protection, which Qatar Airways says has now led to the grounding of 21 A350 jets by its domestic regulator.

Airbus insists the carbon-composite passenger jets are safe to fly despite some "surface degradation," while Qatar Airways says it is too early to say whether safety has been compromised.