Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Qatar Airways expects to ground more Airbus A350s over surface flaws, CEO says

Qatar Airways expects to ground more Airbus A350s over surface flaws, CEO says

In addition to affecting at least 21 Qatar Airlines planes, the issues with the surface finish are said to also extend to other carriers, including Cathay Pacific.

Qatar Airways expects to ground more of its Airbus A350 jets over flaws in their finish, with its chief accusing the European planemaker of having “destroyed” its business relationship with the carrier in an exclusive interview with the Post.

Akbar Al Baker, CEO of the Doha-based super-connector, said on Tuesday that Qatar was also planning to lease a significant number of aircraft to make up for more planes being grounded, but warned it would be difficult to repair the frayed relationship with Airbus.

“We can always let the water pass under the bridge and move on,” Al Baker told the Post.

But, he added: “With Airbus, the damage is very severe. I don’t know how we will be able to work with them again.”

Qatar Airways is one of Airbus’ largest customers, but the two have been locked in an acrimonious dispute over paint and surface flaws on the latter’s marquee jets, prompting the carrier to ground at least 21 of its 53 Airbus A350s on the orders of its national aviation regulator.

Last week, Airbus said it would seek independent legal advice on the matter, emphasising European safety regulators had validated the airworthiness of its planes despite some “surface degradation”.

In response to what he termed Airbus’ “derogatory” remarks, Al Baker said he felt the need to correct the record lest the public misinterpret why a large number of brand new jets had to be grounded.

He also called on Airbus to “come out and admit” there were manufacturing issues behind the problems, and to fix them itself.

“There should be a permanent repair that [the] regulator … is satisfied with,” he said.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker.


A Reuters report last month described the issues as blistering on the aircraft’s skin, exposing a material known as expanded copper foil used in their fuselage. The issues, according to the report, extended to several other airlines, including Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific.

Sources told Reuters that Qatar’s decision to ground the planes was rooted in uncertainty over the surface degradation’s cause and impact, including on the planes’ lightning protection.

“I hope that this condition doesn’t deteriorate further on the other aeroplanes that are already flying, some of which are already showing this condition starting to develop,” Al Baker said on Tuesday.

No other carriers have grounded their aircraft, and Airbus has said the issues are “cosmetic” and not a safety concern, accusing Qatar Airways of having misrepresented them as such.

Airbus told the Post it had no further comments on the matter beyond its statement last week.

No other carriers have grounded their aircraft over the surface flaws, which Airbus accuses Qatar of misrepresenting as a safety issue.


Al Baker, meanwhile, said Qatar Airways was looking at how many aircraft it might have to lease to make up for the groundings.

“At the moment we are looking at the number of aircraft that are grounded. We will have a cushion with additional aeroplanes just in case our regulator decides to pull the airworthiness review certificate of additional aeroplanes,” he said.

At least four Boeing 777s will come from Cathay Pacific, with Qatar keen to bring on additional triple-sevens from the Hong Kong carrier. Qatar Airways is Cathay’s third-largest shareholder, with a 9.99 per cent stake.

Airbus had been in line to supply Qatar Airways with a new order of A350 freighter aircraft, but that looks unlikely to go ahead amid the ongoing row.

“I was looking very positively at freighters. But they have destroyed that relationship,” Al Baker said. “I don’t think that they will ever get a single size of order that we would have placed for the freighter.”

He added: “How would you expect me to ever do business again with a company that doesn’t care about the customer at all? It only cares about its financial statements and bottom line.”

The reluctance would appear to be mutual, with Airbus saying last week it would try to re-establish a “constructive dialogue” with Qatar, but was “not willing to accept inaccurate statements of this kind to continue”.

Airbus data shows Qatar Airways already has an outstanding order for 50 A321neos and 23 A350-1000s. The carrier says it remains committed to its existing orders with the Franco-German firm, as long as the planes are “technically robust with no problems”.

Qatar Airways operates about 110 Airbus aircraft in a fleet of more than 250 planes.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
×