by Tim Hepher
PARIS (Reuters) – Qatar Airways on Monday said it has started legal action against Airbus in a UK court to try to resolve a dispute over accelerated wear and tear on the A350 fuselage surface, paving the way for a rare legal battle over aviation safety.
The Qatari airline and the European aircraft manufacturer have been engaged for months in a quarrel over these degradations of the aircraft, which, according to Qatar Airways, forced the immobilization of 21 A350s by the UAE aviation regulator .
Airbus reiterates that the A350 is safe and that it can continue to fly despite “surface damage”, while Qatar Airways believes it is too early to determine whether the safety of the aircraft is compromised.
The dispute between the two companies escalated last week when, unprecedented according to experts, the aircraft manufacturer accused the airline of disguising the problem by describing it as a security issue, threatening to seek an independent legal assessment.
Qatar Airways responded on Monday by announcing that it had taken the case to the High Court in London.
“We have unfortunately failed in our attempts to find a constructive solution with Airbus,” the UAE airline said in a statement. “Qatar Airways therefore has no alternative but to seek to resolve this dispute quickly in court.”
Airbus has confirmed that it has received a formal legal complaint. The aircraft manufacturer expressed in a press release its willingness to “vigorously defend its position”.
Earlier today, an Airbus spokesperson reiterated that the cause of the fuselage surface problem had been found and that the company was working with customers and the European aviation regulator, which said it had no identified the problem yet.
Documents seen earlier this month by Reuters revealed that at least five other airlines have seen accelerated paint wear on some of the aircraft delivered by Airbus since 2016, adding new dimension to the dispute between the aircraft manufacturer and Qatar Airways.
Last June, Qatar Airways sent a warning to Airbus about possible “industrial repercussions” if the defect found in the paint of the fuselage did not find a solution. The airline then announced that it would no longer accept A350 deliveries until further notice, which could cost Airbus a major contract.
(Report Tim Hepher; French version Camille Raynaud and Jean Terzian)
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