Archyde.com reported on Friday that Airbus said it had canceled a contract with Qatar Airways to buy 50 A321neo planes, which could jeopardize the success of another deal between them to buy the larger A350, worth $600 million.
This step is expanded, according to Archyde.com, from the dispute that moved to a confrontation in the courtroom Thursday, with a procedural hearing over Qatar’s claim in compensation of more than $ 600 million in compensation for defects it observed in Airbus A350 aircraft.
After providing provisional arguments, which was previously reported by the agency, said an Airbus spokesman BloombergWe confirm that we have already terminated the contract for 50 A321 aircraft with Qatar Airways in accordance with our rights.
“We confirm that we have already terminated the contract of 50 A321 aircraft with Qatar Airways, in line with our rights,” a company spokesperson told Archyde.com.
Bloomberg Agency, for its part, said that Airbus is in the process of raising the degree of equality in its dealings with one of its largest customers.
Airbus had accused Qatar Airways of instigating the local grounding of the A350 in order to seek compensation for alleged surface defects, and to terminate a separate order for the A321neo.
According to documents prepared by Airbus for a court hearing in London on Thursday, there was “no reasonable or rational basis” for Qatari regulators to ground 21 of the A350s operated by the state-owned carrier.
Qatar Airways had no immediate comment on the A321neo contract, which has its roots in an order listed 10 years ago worth $4.6 billion, according to the agency.
Qatar Airways said the A321s would help it launch flights to new markets, where there is currently insufficient demand for larger aircraft.
The first delivery of the A321neo is scheduled for Qatar in February 2023, according to Archyde.com.
Industry experts say the model aircraft can be easily resold, in contrast to the reduced demand for large aircraft such as the A350, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic.