After Airbus canceled orders for the A321, Qatar said it did not accept and needed the planes

The legal battle between the manufacturer Airbus and Qatar Airways is far from over, and now the airline is complaining about the cancellation of an order.

It all started with problems with the paint of the A350XWB, which the Arab company received, but it began to show wear and peeling, which poses a flight safety hazard, according to Qatar. Airbus and EASA, in turn, did not agree on the effects on the airworthiness of the aircraft, the airline claimed, leading to a $1 billion legal dispute (and it continues).

Without reaching an agreement, the company raised pre-and post status To the whole world, a video showing the defect in the paint is complemented by severe accusations. Soon after, Airbus complained that the case was exposed and Unilaterally canceled the purchase order of 50 units A321neowhich is a smaller aircraft was Best seller From the European manufacturer.

The cancellation of the deal, valued at $6 billion, has exacerbated the situation and Qatar has included more of this issue in its lawsuit before a British court. The effect was that the court gave a favorable opinion to the airline, and prevented Airbus from canceling the order, while the case was not adjudicated.

Ha, now the airline says it needs the plane and is experiencing a loss due to non-delivery of the planes, contrary to what Airbus claims. The manufacturer claims that the lack of delivery of the A321neo has had no effect, given the high availability of the company’s aircraft due to the pandemic, and it may turn to these other aircraft.

On the other hand, Qatar claims that there is “no comparable alternative to the A321neo with a combination of range, passenger capacity, payload, fuel economy and emissions reduction like this aircraft,” according to the legal portal. Law 360who gained access to document processing.

Also according to Qatar, the selection of other aircraft will take time, as the aircraft closest to the A321neo, the Boeing 737 MAX 10, has not yet been approved and has a long string of deliveries, with the shortest delivery time being the end of 2023.

Meanwhile, the fight continues in the British courts, with many pages yet to be written, which will surely be listed in AEROIN.