End of hostilities after eighteen months of clashes between Airbus and qatarairways. The two parties announced on Wednesday that they had settled “amicably” the dispute between them over the A350 delivered to the Gulf Company. The latter, a major Airbus customer, had gradually grounded 29 of its 53 A350s after noting damage to the surface of the fuselages.
The Qatari company sued the aircraft manufacturer in the High Court of Justice in London to demand damages and demanded 200,000 dollars in compensation per aircraft per day of immobilization, for a total of approximately 2.5 billion dollars.
The aircraft manufacturer recognized for its part a degradation of the paint which could expose a metal net integrated into the fuselage in composite materials, intended to protect the plane in the event of a lightning strike, but rejected any consequence on safety, just like the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The problem was not confined to Qatar Airways, but no other company in the world has grounded its A350s.
No acknowledgment of responsibility
In his press release, the European aircraft manufacturer states that “Qatar Airways and Airbus are pleased to have reached an amicable and mutually acceptable settlement regarding their legal dispute over the deterioration of the surfaces of the A350 and the immobilization of the aircraft on the ground”. . “Details of the agreement are confidential and the parties will now proceed to abandon their legal procedures”, stresses a separate statement from Qatar Airways.
According to the two groups, “the settlement agreement does not constitute an admission of liability for either party.” The agreement thus allows Airbus to put an end to accusations that the A350 is not a safe aircraft and the company to return all its A350s to flight, as long-haul traffic, long depressed by the pandemic, resumes colours.
Retaliation and political interventions
In this affair, the two protagonists went blow for blow. In January 2022, Airbus had even taken the spectacular decision to cancel an order for 50 single-aisle A321s placed by the company, then terminated a few months later the contract for the remaining 23 A350s that Qatar Airways was still to receive, after its refusal to take delivery of several copies. These 50 A321s and 23 A350s, whose purchase amount exceeds 14 billion, have been “reincorporated into the order book” of the aircraft manufacturer as part of this agreement, says an Airbus spokesperson.
Several recent developments seem to have buried the hatchet. A technical meeting between Airbus and the Qatari regulator was finally able to be held in Doha on October 25 after many adventures. And the dispute, which had been taken up by the Elysée, was also discussed on Sunday by Bruno Le Maire during a trip to Doha where he met the Emir Sheikh Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani, according to a source familiar with the matter. .
“This is the culmination of major joint efforts. This is excellent news for the French aeronautical industry,” the Minister of the Economy reacted to the announcement of the agreement.