On Friday, Qatar Airways has asked a UK judge to reinstate the order of 50 A321neos canceled by Airbus. Failing that, they asked for compensation from Airbus for canceling their desperately needed order.
The report by Reuters is the latest in an ongoing legal dispute between Airbus and Qatar Airways over cracks found in Qatar's A350 aircraft. The two have been in court with each other in the UK for months now. Furthermore, Qatar asked the court to stop Airbus from trying to resell its A321neos.
The row between Qatar and Airbus
It all began last year when an A350 was in Shannon, Ireland getting painted into a special livery for the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup. Qatar Airways noticed cracks underneath the paint on top of the fuselage. After they discovered this, Qatar then grounded 13 A350s made by the European plane manufacturer.
Furthermore, Qatar went one step further and sued them for $600 million. This apparently broke a clause between the two and in February, Airbus canceled the order of 50 A321neo aircraft ordered by the Doha-based airline.
This is a major problem for the Gulf airline as it prepared for the type this time next year. Qatar really depends on this aircraft. They are looking for a new fuel-efficient aircraft to support its expanding network connecting Qatar to the world.
Disruption to Qatar Airways
Since the grounding of the A350s and the discovery of the cracks, Qatar has been hit with disruptions it desperately doesn't need. With the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup being held in Qatar, it is expecting a major increase in passenger numbers. So, aircraft on the ground is really worrying the airline.
The A321neo is actually so desperately needed by Qatar, it went to Airbus's rival and main competitor, Boeing, to provisionally order the Boeing 737 MAX, Boeing's answer to the neo.
In addition to the cancellation of the A321 NEO's, we reported just a few weeks ago that Qatar cancelled an additional 2 Airbus A350-1000s.
As previously mentioned, Qatar does not want Airbus to resell its aircraft. The A321 NEO is such a popular choice for airlines that it's soled out until 2028.
Even though the A350 was discovered to have cracks, the European aviation regulator said that there is no need for the Airbus A350 to be grounded. Something which is music to the ears of Airbus executives and operators of the type globally.
Worldwide reaction
According to Airlines Ratings, even Emirates has joined the Qatar side in this whole debacle. The president of Emirates, Tim Clarke has said "We made it absolutely clear in Toulouse now that, if we have the same problem on one of our aircraft, we won’t take them over." Now, Emirates is Qatar Airways' main competitor and for the president of the airline to come out and say this is quite something.
"Akbar is a bit like us, he probably learned from us that we will not accept anything but perfection. That’s not unreasonable, isn’t it?"
What do you make of the situation? Let us know in the comment section.