A British judge ruled that the European aircraft manufacturer was within its rights to break a $6 billion order for 50 brand new A321neo aircraft by the airline because of a paint defect on the larger A350 model.
The judge in the High Court in London told lawyers acting on behalf of Qatar Airways that they could sell the planes to other airlines.
In January, the order was revoked by Airbus after it was claimed that Qatar Airways had broken a cross order clause by refusing to take delivery of an A350 aircraft.
The first A321neo was supposed to be delivered by next year, but now it is possible that these aircraft will be destined for other carriers.
Airlines normally have to wait for years to get hold of the plane because Airbus is struggling to meet demand, but this judgement will give them the A321neo.
There is a paint defect with the A350 aircraft where paint cracks, bubbles and peel away from the composite structure fuselage.
The European Air Safety has grounded 21 A350s because of a defect, but the manufacturer insists the problem is not an airworthiness issue.
The spat hasn't been solved and the airline says it won't take delivery of any more planes until the root cause of the problem is solved.
The total compensation now demanded by the airline is well in excess of $1 billion.
The A321neo order was canceled by Airbus because of the spat.
Mateusz Maszczynski As an international flight attendant, Maszczynski worked for the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying for a well-known European airline during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Matt is an expert in passenger experience and human-centered stories. Constantly keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage is often relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism.
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