(Bloomberg) — Airbus SE will seek an independent legal review of a dispute over paint and surface issues with its A350 wide-body after failing to resolve the matter in talks with Qatar Airways.
In a statement, Airbus said it has been unable to settle the dispute through “direct and open discussions” with the customer, identified as Qatar Airways on a conference call.
The Gulf carrier’s chief executive officer, Akbar Al Baker, has lashed out at Airbus numerous times, characterizing the issue as an “important safety matter” and suggesting the plane will have to be recertified.
Airbus maintains the surface-degradation issues are non-structural, a point backed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency this week.
“The attempt by this customer to misrepresent this specific topic as an airworthiness issue represents a threat to the international protocols on safety matters,” Airbus said.
Nevertheless, EASA did issue an airworthiness bulletin on a separate A350 issue this week, after finding that a copper mesh that protects against lighting strikes was missing in patches on the wings of 13 A350s, including two operated by Qatar Airways.
EASA Finds Airbus Safety Flaw With Missing A350 Copper Wrap (1)
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