The ongoing dispute between the two airlines over paint degradation on the A350 has been escalating as the Toulouse-based company seeks legal advice to defend its flagship long-haul aircraft.
Akbar Al Baker, Group CEO of Qatar Airways, made a lot of strong words about the paint issue that has been going on for months. Until recently, the extent of the problem was completely unknown because of online speculation and small snippets of information released by those involved.
The A350 deliveries have been halted due to a paint issue.
It is clear that the issues concern the lightning protection and paint durability on the aircraft, but the argument is that it does not affect flight safety. The issues have been examined thoroughly by the manufacturer and safety authorities and will not cause airworthiness issues for the A350 fleet, according to the European Aviation Safety Authority.
The domestic aviation safety regulator of the airline disagrees and has grounded 20 A350s. The A380 is one of the widebodies that has been re-activate to cover the missing aircraft.
There are 13 A350s at the grounds of the airline.
The solution to the problem was previously offered by Airbus, however, it was declined by the country due to the solutions being short term fixes.
On the other hand, Airbus is in the process of analyzing what caused the issue.
The attempt by this customer to make this topic seem like an airworthiness issue is a threat to the international protocols on safety matters.
>
In a statement, the company said.
Jon Ostrower shared on social media that the A350 operators may have pushed Airbus to defend its product.
I have heard from A350 customers that they want the A350 brand to be protected more vigorously. This looks to be the natural outgrowth of that sentiment.
>
Jon Ostrower is on December 9, 2021.
At least five other A350 operators have encountered paint issues on their aircraft, however they have not grounded the aircraft or required them to. Delta said this week that paint degradation had been spotted on some of their A350s.
In an attempt to clear up some of the statements circulating about the A350s lightning protection, Airbus says that the proposed corrective steps regarding missing expanded copper foil on 13 aircraft is different in nature. An updated production process has been adapted and the aircraft is set to be inspected as per the directive.
The A350 has a 99.5% operational reliability and is able to perform a range of tasks during the worst of the COVID-19 global travel decline.
