Airbus revokes additional Qatar Airways orders in escalation of row
Airbus has showed no sign of looking for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing row with Qatar Airways, as it announced today it revoked the airline’s orders for two A350-100 planes.
According to a company spokesperson, the deal was terminated “in full compliance with [Airbus’s] rights.”
This is the second time the company has retaliated agains the Qatari carrier’s lawsuit, as it had previously cancelled an order for 50 A3211 neos, Reuters reported.
Despite being lambasted by the likes of IATA’s director general Willie Walsh, the feud between the two will likely be resolved in a UK court of law at the end of April.
Qatar Airways decided in December to sue the manufacturer for more than $600m after it was forced to ground its A350 fleet over damages to the planes’ surface, Morning Wire has reported.
The row – which has seen the two companies at odds for the last few months – escalated after Airbus deemed the defect a cosmetic issue, but was forced to retract as more carriers came forward with the same issue.