Qatar Airways takes Airbus to court over aircraft damage

The Qatari flagship carrier, Qatar Airways started legal proceedings on Monday 20 December against The European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus in the High Court of London, after months of failed efforts to reach an agreement and resolve the ongoing dispute.
Surface damage
Qatar was forced to ground 20 wide-body A350 aircraft over strict instructions from the Qatari Civil Aviation Authority after surface damage was found on the aircraft’s fuselage beneath the paint.
The legal case marks an unusual standoff between the two companies over air safety concerns, following months-long quarrels and exchanged allegations.
Exchanged allegations
“We have sadly failed in all our attempts to reach a constructive solution with Airbus in relation to the accelerated surface degradation condition adversely impacting the Airbus A350 aircraft,” Qatar Airways said, adding that it has

been left with ” no alternative but to seek a rapid resolution of this dispute via courts.”
On its part, Airbus confirmed it was legally notified of the case, adding that it will “vigorously defend its position” in the court of law.
Over the past months, Airbus insisted that the damage in question has been “thoroughly assessed” and proven to pose no considerable threat to the aircraft airworthiness, however, the airline has repeatedly declined the claims, blaming Airbus for causing a “very large dent” in its wide-body operations.
Earlier in December, the manufacturer announced it will be seeking “independent legal judgment” to resolve the dispute and save its reputation, adding that it was working closely with other carriers to fix similar surface degradation.
Source: Aviation Businessme.com
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