Qatar Airways is arguably one of the best airlines in the planet. And in a quest to maintain their reputation and ensure the safety of their passengers, they have been engaged in a long battle with Airbus, the European airplane supplier.
The issue started when Qatar Airways returned the disputed planes, the A350-1000 series, to Airbus, citing the “accelerated surface degradation” of the plane right after inspecting it. Apparently, the airline found problems with the carbon composite fuselage of the A350 models. Additionally, they also found cracks in the paint of the planes’ surface, which put, so they grounded the plane and launched a complaint to Airbus. They also announced that they will be suing Airbus in London for the damaged planes.
In retaliation, Airbus suspended the contract supplying smaller A321neo jets to Qatar Airways. The contract was already signed by both parties and its suspension was seen as a hostile response to the airline’s refusal of the A350 jets.
Qatar Airways and Airbus Settlement
What followed was over three years of legal back and forth between the airline and the aircraft maker. The dispute started in 2020 and the planes in question have been grounded ever since. But earlier this year, the two parties finally reached an “amicable settlement.” It involves a whopping $2 billion deal and the minister of France.
The details of the settlement are confidential and we can’t expect to see them in the near future as well, but it seems the issue has been resolved.
Last Friday, Qatar Airways finally received the 24th A350 plane out of 58 orders from Airbus. In a gesture of good will, Airbus also announced that they will be reinstating the contract for the A321neo jets to the airline. However, because it was suspended for a while, the airline can expect it to arrive in 2026, much later than the original delivery date.
Qatar Airways is certainly a big client for Airbus, holding the second place in the number of A350s owned. They previously had the most A350s owned before Singapore Airlines bested them. But 58 A350-1000 jets is still a lot, so it seems Airbus wants to keep the communication and relationship with them.
Australia Rejects Qatar Airways Request for More Slots
The famous airline has faced multiple controversies in the past. In fact, it made recent news as well after Australia rejected the appeal of the airline for more flight slots to-and-from the country. According to the news, Qatar Airways already had 28 weekly slots back and forth Australia and Doha, but they applied for an additional 21 slots.
Australia, seeing that it was a one-sided agreeement, and that no Australian airline attempted to negotiate the same terms with Qatar, rejected the appeal. Currently, the Qatari airline still has considerable access to the land down under, with its 28 weekly slots to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, the four largest cities in the country.
The government of Australia sees no plans in the future of giving Qatar Airways more access to the country’s ports.