Qatar Airways has asked the court hearing its lawsuit with Airbus to order the manufacturer to deliver the 50 A321neo aircraft that were canceled at the end of last month.
In a filing to the UK court hearing the multi-million dollar lawsuit the carrier brought against the manufacturer over A350 problems, the Qatari airline asked the court to “reinstate” the order for 50 aircraft that the European giant revoked last January. If this is not possible, it asked for compensation – yet to be established – as reparation for the manufacturer’s untimely and unilateral decision to suspend delivery of the units, Yahoo reports.
The dispute escalated in January when the airline decided to abandon negotiations with Airbus and file a lawsuit against the manufacturer over what it describes as “serious safety issues” with the A350. According to the carrier, 21 A350s had been taken out of service under orders from the Gulf state’s commercial aviation regulator (QCAA). In a statement filed on 13 February, Qatar revealed that it had to ground another aircraft, bringing the total to 22.
See also: Head of IATA described the conflict between Qatar and Airbus as «worrisome»
While Airbus admitted that quality problems exist, it accused the airline of “exaggerating” them as safety problems in order to obtain financial compensation. Moreover, Airbus has made clear its position. It stated that the QCAA is not an independent body and that it serves the interests of Qatar Airways. Hence, like everything else in the Gulf countries, is owned by the royal family. EASA contributed its opinion and stressed that the problems do not constitute an airworthiness issue.
As part of the dispute, Airbus last month canceled the order for fifty A321neos. They claimed that Qatar had “breached a clause” linking the two agreements. Just days later, Qatar placed a provisional order for at least 25 Boeing 737 MAXs.
Beyond that, in Friday’s filing, Qatar praised the Airbus model noting “there is no equivalent available in the market”. It also asked the High Court in London to prohibit Airbus from reselling the A321neos. Those are currently in high demand and have a backlog stretching to 2028. An interim injunction is currently in place – in principle until April – prohibiting the manufacturer from placing the Qatar-owned equipment on the market.
