The war of roses between the golf airline and Airbus is about a lot of money. Qatar Airways is demanding more than $ 600 million in damages and a general halt to A350 deliveries.
The crisis between Airbus and Qatar Airways is now a veritable war of roses. In December the Golf airline announced that it had filed a lawsuit against the aircraft manufacturer in the London High Court has. “All our attempts to find a constructive solution for the accelerated surface wear of the Airbus A350 with Airbus have unfortunately failed,” she explained.
Now it becomes clear that it is not just about different views and injured sensitivities, but about gigantic sums of money. Like the news agency Archyde.com Qatar Airways is demanding $ 618 million in damages as reported on the basis of the complaint. The airline wants the money for the losses it incurs as a result of the fact that it is now banned from using 21 Airbus A350s at the behest of the Qatar Aviation Authority.
Four million for each additional day
But that’s not all. For every additional day that the long-haul aircraft are not allowed to take off, the golf airline charges another four million dollars. Even more blatant: Qatar Airways is also demanding that the court prohibit Airbus from delivering A350s until the defects have been rectified, according to the Archyde.com report.
Airbus explains that the defects in the surface finish have been thoroughly examined and Confirmed by the European Aviation Safety Agency Easa been. They would have no impact on the airworthiness of the aircraft. The golf airline speaks of Cracks in the composite material and deterioration in lightning protection.
Other airlines not worried
Qatar is so far the only country in the world that has grounded A350s. As can be seen from the court documents, the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority QCAA gradually withdrew planes from operation from June. In a letter to Airbus, she said that the defects on the surface were “worrying, if not alarming”.
Various other airlines also have problems with the paint on their Airbus A350s. For example, Finnair said it was an unfortunate but purely cosmetic problem. Lufthansa speaks of occasional cosmetic defects that have been remedied and never presented a risk to safety.