Qatar Airways says surface flaws on Airbus SE’s A350 jets cause a risk of the fuel tanks igniting, bolstering its contention that safety is at stake in its acrimonious legal dispute with the planemaker.
In documents made public Tuesday, Qatar Airways said paint layers on large parts of affected A350s have been so badly damaged that wind and pollutants, such as salt or hydraulic fluids, can penetrate through the skin and damage the lightning protection of the aircraft. That raises particular concern on the wings, where fuel tanks are located.
The argument will be fully aired in a London court next month, with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake for both sides. Qatar Airways sued Airbus late last year over A350 surface quality issues after months of disagreement over their gravity. Airbus acknowledges the problem but disputes the airline’s characterization of it as a safety concern.
Both sides have made compensation claims. Qatar Airways has grounded 22 A350s to date, while Airbus canceled two deliveries of the wide-body and a separate contract for its best-selling A321s. Those orders are now caught up in separate legal proceedings.
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Qatar Airways has the backing of its local aviation safety regulator but the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has said the plane is airworthy.
In its filing, the carrier cited an EASA safety assessment from April 2021, saying the lightning threat would pose a danger if it were co-incident with fuel tanks. Qatar Airways said that since damage can be seen on the wings, that means it is co-incident with the fuel tanks.
Airbus “rejects Qatar Airways’ ongoing and public mischaracterization of the nature of these issues and of their impact on the A350 aircraft’s continuous airworthiness,” a spokesman said. The planemaker has worked with EASA since the beginning and continues to do so, he said.
EASA didn’t respond to a request for comment made after regular business hours.
‘Defective’…