Paint issues on Qatar's A350 jets have put the carrier in a bitter legal dispute with Airbus. Take a look at 2 of the grounded planes.

Advertisement

Surface paint issues on Qatar Airways' Airbus A350 widebody jets have created a months-long legal dispute with the European plane manufacturer.

The airline says cracked paint and exposed copper mesh on the planes pose a safety risk, telling Insider in January that "the defects cause the aircraft's lightning protection system to be exposed and damaged."

Advertisement

However, Airbus has strongly denied the claims, saying the paint flaw is simply "cosmetic," and argues the plane is not unairworthy because of the redundant safety systems built into the jet, Reuters reported.

Moreover, the planemaker says the degraded paint does not impact airworthiness — a claim that has been backed by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Advertisement

Despite the manufacturer's safety assurance, in June 2021, Qatar halted the acceptance of all A350 deliveries until Airbus completes a root cause analysis of the problem, which the airline says the planemaker has yet to do.

The airline then grounded 20 A350s in August 2021, saying it was following "explicit written instructions" from its aviation safety regulator. As of June 2022, Qatar has taken 23 jets out of service.

Advertisement

Other carriers, like Etihad, Lufthansa, and Delta Air Lines, have noticed surface paint issues on their A350s as well. However, the airlines say the issue is not a safety threat and will continue to fly them.

Airbus has pushed back on Qatar, telling Insider that it has already determined a root cause and "provided necessary guidance to its customers and operators for continuous operations."

Advertisement

"The attempt by this customer to misrepresent this specific topic as an airworthiness issue represents a threat to the international protocols on safety matters," Airbus said in a December statement.

Unsatisfied with Airbus' resolution, Qatar sued Airbus in a London High Court in December seeking $618 million in damages, plus an additional $4 million for every day the planes are grounded.

Advertisement

The London trial will occur next summer, but a UK judge ruled that Airbus can sell the undelivered jets to other customers, like Air India, while the dispute continues, according to Reuters.

Airbus has counter-sued, hoping to recover millions of dollars worth of credits that are given when jets are ordered. The manufacturer also canceled Qatar's order for 50 A321 aircraft and two A350-1000 jets, further fueling tensions.

Advertisement

Qatar called the canceled orders "a matter of considerable regret and frustration," and, in response, posted a video on YouTube showing the degraded paint.

Currently, two of Qatar's grounded A350s, which are worth $300 million combined, sit in the airline's maintenance hangar in Doha. Reuters gained access to the planes recently.

Advertisement

During the close-up look of the damage, journalists reported an "elongated stretch of blistered and cracked or missing paint along the roof or crown of the jets."

They also say the lightning mesh on the wingtips "appeared exposed and corroded," and that it was flat out "missing" on other parts, "leaving areas of the composite hull exposed."

Advertisement

Meanwhile, the tail on one of the jets had "cracked and missing paint that exposed the layer beneath," and the main wings had "rivet rash," meaning loss of paint.

Reuters says it has not verified "independently the cause of the damage" after reviewing court documents.

Advertisement

Al Baker told Reuters that after speaking with Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury, the two are still at odds.

"On a personal level I am friends with everyone but when it comes to an issue with my company, then it's a different story," he told a news conference, Reuters reported. "If things were settled, we would not be still waiting for a trial to happen next year."

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Faury said there was "progress in the sense that we are communicating."