According to a Reuters story, Airbus has canceled the agreement to provide Qatar Airways with a fourth A350 aircraft.
This is the most recent development in the protracted conflict between Airbus and Qatar Airways on the A350 airplane. The European aircraft maker insists that the A350 is safe, despite the Gulf carrier’s assertion that the surface degradation on the aircraft raised safety issues.
On July 7, 2022, Airbus and Qatar Airways will appear in court in London for the most recent in a series of procedural hearings before a formal trial, which is anticipated to take place in the summer of 2023.
The High Court of London decided on May 26, 2022, that the case will go to trial quickly, in the summer of 2023.
Despite Qatar Airways’ apparent desire for a settlement, both Qatar Airways and Airbus welcomed the court process.
“Every partnership has disputes and I just hope that this dispute can be resolved out of court,” Qatar Airways COO Akbar al-Baker said at a press conference in Doha on May 26, 2022.
