Airbus has cancelled a $6bn contract with Qatar Airways for 50 of its new A321neo passenger jets, escalating a legal battle between the two companies over paint on the recently delivered A350s.
Qatar Airways called Airbus’s decision announced on Friday “a matter of considerable regret and frustration”.
In December, Airbus was taken to court by Qatar Airways in London, following a series of alleged problems with the Airbus A350 aircraft.
The airline complained the paint on the recently delivered Airbus A350s was cracking and peeling, exposing copper meshing used to insulate the aircraft against lightning strike.
Al Jazeera’s Andrew Chappelle reports from Doha, Qatar.
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#Qatarairways #Airbus #A350
Need a new competitor in the aircraft manufacturing business, both Boeing and Airbus are dropping their standards
Yes IL and TU the Russians will love it!
China
Mitsubishi
Hello?
@Doray Nathan degraded paint is far than crashed plains
So No thanks, No made in China
Well there’s Embraer, Bombardier, Irkut, Ilyushin, UAC, and COMAC
Airbus don’t act like a mafia 😁
Don’t be that sure
Utterly shocking way for Airbus to react to its most prominent customer. Reassuring to see QATAR ground most of the A350 fleet until this is resolved.
SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT!
Airbus offered Qatar Airways for free to fix the paint on the 19 affected aircraft but Qatar Airways refused, had they accepted the issue would already been resolved. This is a known issue on Boeing planes as well like the 787 and it’s happening on Qatar airways planes because they wash the planes with salt water so what you expect really. Also this is a paint issue not a safety issue.
Qatar should have purchased Russian Il-96 for their fleet. Russians know how to paint an airplane correctly.
Airbus has seen Boing “Partially” Getting away with 737 MAX and now they want the same sort of leverage.
Well done Qatar Airways for standing up to the bullies, Safety first!
Qatar can replace a350 to Boeing 787-10!!
EVA, VIETNAM, ETIHAD, SINGAPORE, BA, UNITED, SAUDIA, KLM, ANA … they’re all selling their 787-10! ALSO LH, KOREAN, AIR CHINA are selling their Boeing 747-8i
Two different aircraft, can’t replace A359/A35K with 78X like for like…
1 : the paint come from the company
2 : from ALL A350 I’m the world, the only ones with this problem are in Qatar AW
Woow
Can you imagine Islamists hijacked it and then immedtly crushing on the land? They would not habe the 72 vergins in paradise… good job qatar.
Hehe matthew 19:29— 100 virgins,Dads moms etc are waiting for you.🤣🤣🤣
Show 72 virgins please.Oh I can show 100 from Bible.
Greedy Airbus lose its name. Customer first should be priority.
Funny Qatar is the only airline and nation havibg that issue while hundrets of other dont see any issues. Qatar try to get only money and this time they went far too far.
No paint will ever survive the excruciating heat of Qatar, 105f/122f, Airbus should actually charged them a premium.
More orders for b777x
Good on Qatar Airways
Well done Qatar Airways. They put human lives over profits
Airbus has got too big for their britches. The message for other airlines is clear. Accept flawed airframes from this manufacturer without objection or suffer the consequences. The timing couldn’t be better for Boeing who is in the process of “flushing their toilet” of the bad management that have caused their recent troubles. If Boeing returns to a philosophy of being run by the engineers instead of the bean-counters, they will be in a great negotiating position, thanks to arrogance and (apparently) incompetence at Airbus.
Airbus offered Qatar Airways for free to fix the paint on the 19 affected aircraft but Qatar Airways refused, had they accepted the issue would already been resolved. This is a known issue on Boeing planes as well like the 787 and it’s happening on Qatar airways planes because they wash the planes with salt water so what you expect really.
Oh, I’m well aware of the Airbus offer. Problem is they were not willing to pay the damages. And, it’s awfully hard to explain to the public why the mesh under the paint is showing. It doesn’t instill confidence. In the end it really is simple. Airbus needs to do whatever it takes to make the product right and to compensate the customer for lost revenue, etc. So, you can be sure Airbus will pay dearly for their arrogance. And you better believe that going forward ALL new contracts with ANY airframe manufacturer are going to have “iron-clad” clauses to protect the airlines from this type of issue happening again. Airbus will rue the day that they “bullied” a loyal customer. Everybody is watching them now.
@Steve Solomon Funny how every other Airline that had the same issue was satisfied with the fix Airbus offered. And Funny how every other authority thinks it’s not a safety problem except the qatar authority which is owened by the same person as qatar airways. What a coincidence. Qatar hoped to compensate the lost revenue during the covid pandemic with this problem. Pity for them that Airbus doesn’t play along.
Boeing is long dead, the Douglas name hangs on top of every decision taken since 1997. You are right about the engineers making technical decisions but that was during Boeing’s Era. The neon sign above the shop says Boeing, the logo is Douglas, so is the management…
🤬🤬The manufacturer must guarantee the quality of the products it sells. Qatar airways should not accept planes with any defects, this is the paint, what quality will the internal structure have? and the parts that make up the engine? How can a passenger travel calmly and confidently in an airplane with a deteriorated appearance? That’s what that damaged painting represents “OLD AND DETERIORATED AIRCRAFT”😡😡
@TH Gaming Wales thanks for your information, the important thing is that they ensure the safety of the trips, it is true that salt water damages the paint without affecting the structure
That awful pain job is like what you get nowadays with MOST car companies. Peeling pain in just a couple of years‼️ 🤦🏻♂️
Al Jazeera is proving once again that it’s not journalism but Qatars propaganda channel, boycott Qatar
Qatar air. Good but airbus.. Compeny. No. Good
🙁
Whoever sows iniquity will reap calamity,
and the rod of his wrath will strike him alone.
As if Airbus didn’t learn a lesson from what happened to Boeing’s hubris with the 737 Max.
You can’t compare, the 737 max was a software error, the paint is due to composite frame
They cant even provide good quality paint they jus loot Money at every walk of life
We really need more information about the Aircraft in question in order to put this in proper context , #1 We need to know when the Aircraft was delivered to the airline , #2 We need to know exactly how many flight hours the aircraft has on it , #3 We need access to the maintenance logbooks , without all this information it’s impossible to know accurately who is at fault for this ..
These are the same questions that would be asked in a court of law and that will be asked when this goes before the judge ….
Then go buy Boeing they make better planes anyway
Boeing has its share of problems with the 7X and 78 production..
I’d be livid too.. ….Ab will offer a band -aid fix ..but next year, we’ll have to do it all over again ..
Great …
Airbus offered Qatar Airways for free to fix the paint on the 19 affected aircraft but Qatar Airways refused, had they accepted the issue would already been resolved. This is a known issue on Boeing planes as well like the 787 and it’s happening on Qatar airways planes because they wash the planes with salt water so what you expect really. Also it’s a paint issue not a safety issue, having the paint crumble away doesn’t affect the structural integrity of the aircraft this has been proven by aircraft regulators around the world except the ones in Qatar and I wonder why… Oh I know why for that 600 million compensation they want and the 4 Million a day for lost revenue which Airbus isn’t responsible for, this is just a way for Qatar to try and get back the money they lost for the pandemic.
Don’t planes get repainted by the Airlines?
If EASA approves the MC-21 in a year or two, Qatar and other airlines will have options.
Funny joke
@Ryan Z today’s funny is tomorrow’s reality. I could speculate, as Abu Dhabi is financing checkmate Qatar may finance the Russian Aviation industry.
@A Lozi 🤭🤭🤭😂😂😂❤️
Someone forgot to add the thinners
Airbus A350 is equal to Boeing 777? Boeing introduced their first jumbo jet 787 Dreamliner in 2018.
These carbon fiber planes have rediculous problems!!
Russia new plane will got slice of cake i guess
Boris’s Britain 🇬🇧 and Macron’s France 🇫🇷 – the rotting ☠️ empires of Europe 👎🏻
oh well.
This is just a symptom of a wider issue. Aviation companies are producing inferior planes in order to maximize profit.
Airbus offered to fix it for free but Qatar unlike other airlines wants to make some money off it during the pandemic.
Good move QR … Safety first … AIB should take responsibility to solve the issue and not playing the card of Mr. Perfect
The A350 isn’t a safety issue it’s a paint issue, the paint crumbling away doesn’t affect how safe the aircraft is it just affects the looks of it
Remember 2 Boeing planes going down a year or two back. Pretty sure was on the news.
Pylox?
according to Wikipedia on the MC21, there is a planned version for MC-21-400 to be built in the country UAE neighbouring Qatar. Did Airbus just throw away 50 orders straight to its competitor?
This could be a problem simply from the airlines not adding the thinners to the paint solution.
Qatar is pathetic period.
Why should airbus do business with a partner whose going to turn around and stab you in the back.
BOEING IS AVAILABLE… GO FOR BOEING.
They should’ve gotten AppleCare+
Mind-boggling! Its all falling apart. Hitler said ‘kick in the door and whole rotten structure will come falling down’
Good job airbus.. Slap the diva on his face
Sukhoi the Russian Company should step in
We need Japan to enter the Plane market
I think Mitsubishi makes planes
@стройник verpen just Regional we need more planes
Clueless comments all over the place….well done Airbus. And that youngster talking has no idea what he is talking about.
Comac by Russia launching passenger jets this will solve the problems
Yinka ayefele
They should order the MS-21.
Qatar Airways are behaving like greedy morons, so no new jets for them. Good on you Airbus!
Need to investigate it carefully. Qatar airways should have maintenance schedule to avoid this.
RR, Concode,Boeing,UAC-Russia,Antanov…
Sounds like good news for Boeing
I always liked Qatar airlines
Too late for Qatar to backtrack out of this. It’s amazing how people get emotional on these forums without facts about particular cases…
@A Lozi You opinion is your right. However sentiments don’t make fiction a fact. Just go through the facts on the case objectively and make an informed conclusion. As for the Irkut aircraft, the platform is a long way to make it into fleets that are entirely built around Western aircraft. Not saying never, but QR will buy another batch of A350s before an Irkut or COMAC aircraft enters their fleet. What’s next, Ilyushin 96s for EK and EY….Many regards🙏
go for russia mc/superjet
If it’s on Aljazeera, it’s probably exergerated, not true or biased. AJ is the Middle Eastern CNN..
Qatar, just become an airlines manufacturer and make great airplanes.
Qatar: switch to 787 and 777x..no problem
Wasn’t just paint , Airbus said they would need 900 patches!.
If Qatar gets defected paints Al jazeera makes a video on it but when Qatar badly treats it’s Labour Al Jazeera is silent. Wow what a great news channel Al Jazeera is. Paint defects make it to head lines but Human rights violations have no place in Al Jazeera.
Not nice, that is true, but no safety effect. Qatar is wrong.
Mostly in a year or two, Chinese made aeroplane may come into service.
Then the same airbus and boeing will cry.
Keep dreaming
Boeing is the best of the BEST
Boeing aircrafts are killing people and Airbus are falling apart. This what we get with monopoly. The world needs more manufacturers and more competition.
Paint that caused the pain.
Boeing and Airbus both should be banned
Last time in december 2021 flew with Qatar Airways with A350 and seen a paint demage on right side wing
MC21 is best!!!!!!!!!!
looks like bad nail polish
These are relatively new airplanes, this is not normal at all…what’s it gonna take? A couple accidents and hundreds of lives lost, a la 737 Max?!?
It is not a safety issue for crying out loud
Boieng is waiving.hahaha
This duopoly of Boeing and Airbus means they can push their customers around as they please.
Aircraft manufacturers should work with airlines in resolving such issues rather than being hostile. The aviation industry is just seeing the shoots of recovery & such actions will have damaging long term effects to both airlines & manufacturers.
Qatar Airways. Thinking safety first.
Airbus sucks now
It is completely unacceptable for airbus to delivered those aircraft with not so good paint job. I mean Qatar pay their good money and shouldn’t be accepted shity paint like that.this is beneath airbus integrity
Qatar will now fly boing. I knew the 350 as Qatar’s signature plane. How sad
Get Russian planes and stop winening
let boeing repaint them
aljazeera is the world best bad news channel. It shares stories from around the world but hides the attrosities the qatari do with the people whom they bring to work for them. It is a country of racist, male chauvinist and labour abusive people. Their soccer stadium sits on the graves of hundreds of thousands of laborouers. There are millions of family members from the dead and abused laborouers who curse this country and their people every second. I hope God answers their prayers and gives the qatari a sane mind and heart one day
Qatar probably received money from China to start these FAKE claims
Boeing is gonna get hold of the fleet
Elon Musk must be seeing a market gap here… Boeing and Airbus must be cautious about their mistakes. Competition will be stiff if that guy comes on board.
I am about to travel in Qatar airlines in 5 days hope I survive
Good job QA
Get ur money Qatar 👏
airbus doing g8 job… Qatar…is bad country..
Waste planes for Qatar Airways what a bad.
Airbus Bad paint vs 2 Downed Boeing Planes. Idk man tough one
China will be the way fwd
Well Boeing got safety issues and Airbus got bad paint jobs well I guess that means McDonnell Douglas MD10 and Lockheed L-1011 Tristar is coming back baby!! I WISH
Good job Airbus in cancelling their order.
Other airlines will be happy to grab those a321 slots.
Russian and China both developed their aircraft, but western countries never wanted to play a fair game. Many airlines decided not to buy Russian and China made because US and EU safety agency EASA and FAA would never approve for these aircraft to fly into their airports. Just like vaccines. Many countries are forced to take western made vaccines because US and EU would never approve China and Russian vaccine, so travellers are forced to take western made booster.
Why sue in the UK??, i thought Airbus was france 🇫🇷 based company.
these plans parked long time due to corona crises may be caused paint rusted
Good job qatar airways for putting sefety first
Why do the Airbus would not want to fix the issue? And instead blame Qatar?