PARIS: Eu plane maker Airbus has cancelled its contract to ship 19 A350 planes to Qatar Airlines, a supply on the subject of the topic mentioned Wednesday, amid a feud between the 2 aviation giants. Airbus had already cancelled a multi-billion-dollar order of fifty planes from Qatar Airlines, a big buyer, previous within the 12 months, over the airline’s grounding of A350 plane.

Qatar Airlines has been locked in a dispute with Airbus over degradation of the outside fuselage surfaces on a few of its A350 wide-body planes. The problem has led the airline, one of the vital Gulf area’s “giant 3” carriers, to floor 23 of the plane and now not settle for additional deliveries from the Eu company till the issue is resolved.

Qatar Airlines claimed damages from Airbus amounting to $200,000 in keeping with day, in keeping with aircraft out of motion. The order for the nineteen plane was once value seven billion euros at catalogue costs, regardless that airways are in most cases charged much less for enormous purchases. Neither Airbus nor Qatar Airlines right away commented at the cancelled order.

Court docket fight

The airline and main plane-maker had been combating within the British courts for months over the paint drawback. Qatar Airlines introduced criminal motion in opposition to Airbus over the problem ahead of the Prime Court docket in London in December, with Airbus vigorously protecting the A350 in opposition to any tips the plane isn’t protected.

Qatar’s civil aviation authority grounded the planes judging the publicity of the steel mesh beneath the paint posed a security possibility. However the Eu Aviation Protection Company (EASA) discovered it posed no affect at the airworthiness of the plane.

In Would possibly, all sides mentioned they was hoping to achieve a negotiated agreement. Qatar Airlines is not easy about $1 billion in damages over the peeling paintwork, which it says is a danger to the A350’s lightning conductor. After the airline remaining 12 months grounded a part of its fleet of A350s, Airbus spoke back through cancelling an order value greater than $6 billion for fifty A321s from Qatar Airlines.

Airbus mentioned {that a} clause within the contract for the 50 A321 planes allowed its cancellation if Qatar Airlines failed to completely honour any of its different contracts, which the airline did through refusing to take supply of A350 plane.

In January, an Airbus spokesman instructed AFP that the plane maker had “terminated” the contract for fifty single-aisle A321neo plane, “in response to our rights”. Qatar Airlines leader government Akbar Al Baker in June accused Airbus of performing like a “bully” over the dispute.

“A producer will have to by no means be allowed to make use of their marketplace dominance to bully their long-standing buyer,” he mentioned on the Global Air Delivery Affiliation annual basic assembly in Doha. Airbus leader Guillaume Faury, for his section, had mentioned he was once taking a look to speak to take a look at to unravel the problem however stated it was once tough. – AFP