Skip to main content

Qatar Airways Statement on Airbus A350 Aircraft

 Qatar Airways welcomes the decision of the High Court on Friday 18 February 2022 which issued an injunction against Airbus. The essence of the order is that Airbus must not do anything between the date of the order and a further hearing in April that would adversely affect its ability to comply with any court order that Qatar Airways might obtain in relation to the purported cancellation of the A321 contract. As the order obtained is an injunction, there would be serious consequences for Airbus should this order be breached. The decision by the High Court will help to protect Qatar Airways against any future attempts by Airbus to suggest that it is unable to comply with the terms of the A321 contract.


Qatar Airways also notes with surprise, the statement made by the Airbus CEO during the company’s latest earnings press event when he was referring to this litigation. He said: “We have to take steps to protect ourselves and protect the company and that’s basically what we are doing, but obviously we continue to try to resolve the situation in a more amicable way”. It is important to clarify that neither Qatar Airways nor its legal team are aware of any efforts by Airbus to try to resolve the situation in an amicable way; in fact, the actual situation is to the contrary. Qatar Airways was surprised to see Airbus' latest efforts to attempt to terminate their own contractual commitment to establish a full root cause analysis of the A350 Accelerated Surface Degradation which is currently impacting the A350 aircraft type. Qatar Airways will continue its legal action to seek an order that requires Airbus to fully, properly and transparently investigate the A350 Accelerated Surface Degradation, to establish the conclusive and full root cause of an important condition which is degrading the surface of the aircraft beneath the paint.


In a further development, Qatar Airways regrets to advise that its regulator, the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), has now revoked the Airworthiness Review Certificate in respect of an additional A350 aircraft resulting in a total of twenty-two (22) Airbus A350 aircraft now grounded. This decision has been taken by our regulator as all of these aircraft have developed damage as a result of the A350 Accelerated Surface Degradation Condition which is beyond the tolerance limits set by Airbus. The QCAA will not allow these aircraft to return to service until a full and conclusive root cause analysis has been completed, the impact on continuing airworthiness has been established and a solution been found to permanently correct the root cause and repair the damage. The safety of passengers and crew remains the highest priority for Qatar Airways and therefore the airline fully supports the decision of the QCAA.


Qatar Airways welcomes the decision of the High Court on Friday 18 February 2022 which issued an injunction against Airbus. The essence of the order is that Airbus must not do anything between the date of the order and a further hearing in April that would adversely affect its ability to comply with any court order that Qatar Airways might obtain in relation to the purported cancellation of the A321 contract. As the order obtained is an injunction, there would be serious consequences for Airbus should this order be breached. The decision by the High Court will help to protect Qatar Airways against any future attempts by Airbus to suggest that it is unable to comply with the terms of the A321 contract.


Qatar Airways also notes with surprise, the statement made by the Airbus CEO during the company’s latest earnings press event when he was referring to this litigation. He said: “We have to take steps to protect ourselves and protect the company and that’s basically what we are doing, but obviously we continue to try to resolve the situation in a more amicable way”. It is important to clarify that neither Qatar Airways nor its legal team are aware of any efforts by Airbus to try to resolve the situation in an amicable way; in fact, the actual situation is to the contrary. Qatar Airways was surprised to see Airbus' latest efforts to attempt to terminate their own contractual commitment to establish a full root cause analysis of the A350 Accelerated Surface Degradation which is currently impacting the A350 aircraft type. Qatar Airways will continue its legal action to seek an order that requires Airbus to fully, properly and transparently investigate the A350 Accelerated Surface Degradation, to establish the conclusive and full root cause of an important condition which is degrading the surface of the aircraft beneath the paint.


In a further development, Qatar Airways regrets to advise that its regulator, the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), has now revoked the Airworthiness Review Certificate in respect of an additional A350 aircraft resulting in a total of twenty-two (22) Airbus A350 aircraft now grounded. This decision has been taken by our regulator as all of these aircraft have developed damage as a result of the A350 Accelerated Surface Degradation Condition which is beyond the tolerance limits set by Airbus. The QCAA will not allow these aircraft to return to service until a full and conclusive root cause analysis has been completed, the impact on continuing airworthiness has been established and a solution been found to permanently correct the root cause and repair the damage. The safety of passengers and crew remains the highest priority for Qatar Airways and therefore the airline fully supports the decision of the QCAA.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The All-new Foldable Line-up is Here!

 The all-new foldable lineup from Samsung is here. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra brings Galaxy’s renowned Ultra standard to foldables with maximum productivity. The brand-new form factor of the Galaxy Z Fold8 unlocks new foldable experiences through everyday immersion. And the Galaxy Z Flip8 rounds off the series, designed around quick interactions, personal expression and AI-native experiences.  Samsung is set to redefine foldable innovation once again with these new devices — bringing together iconic design, powerful performance, and an even more seamless Galaxy AI experience. But that’s not all, a whole new range of the Galaxy Watch series is here too, specifically Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy Watch9. From 22 July to 13 August 2026, customers can enjoy a suite of exclusive launch rewards worth up to RM1,950!  , This includes an exclusive rebate worth up to RM800, an instant bank rebate of RM500 when paying with selected bank cards a Samsung Reward Points Booster worth up ...

Samsung Brings Galaxy Ecosystem Into Everyday Eyewear

 The smartphone era forced humanity into a persistent downward gaze, tethering personal productivity to glass screens held in the palm. At Galaxy Unpacked in London, Samsung Electronics, alongside Google and Qualcomm, formally signaled the next major structural shift in mobile computing. By introducing its Intelligent Eyewear ecosystem—engineered in direct partnership with global eyewear innovators Gentle Monster and Warby Parker—Samsung is attempting to transition artificial intelligence from a device you consult into an ambient layer that passively interprets the physical world alongside you. The Architectural Blueprint: Android XR and Micro-Hardware Integration While the concept of camera-equipped glasses is not new, Samsung’s approach differentiates itself through deep platform-level integration and optimized silicon efficiency. Operating on the newly minted Android XR platform, the Intelligent Eyewear acts as a display-less, audio-first extension of the Galaxy ecosystem. Under...

100 aircraft, 44 months and 4.4 million man hours: Emirates’ retrofit programme marks major milestone

 Emirates has reached a landmark 100 aircraft refurbished under its retrofit programme, the largest known undertaken by any airline globally. Since work began in November 2022, 47 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s have been given a complete nose-to-tail refresh at the Emirates Engineering hangars in Dubai. By the end of December 2026, around 20 additional aircraft will be upgraded, moving the airline significantly past the halfway point in its US$ 5 billion investment aimed at delivering a consistently elevated experience to customers. Over a period of 44 months, the Emirates Engineering team has deployed more than 400 engineers and technicians, investing a collective 4.4 million man hours to transform 100 aircraft and deliver a sophisticated upgrade across the cabin interiors of all the aircraft. Every aircraft was also fitted out with a new Premium Economy Cabin during the retrofit. More than 3,800 new Premium Economy seats have been installed in total as part of the initiative, ac...