Qatar Airways announced that it has grounded 13 Airbus A350s in its fleet as it claimed ‘the fuselage surface below the paint is degrading at an accelerated rate.’
The airline also said it would not take delivery of any more A350s from Airbus until the issue is resolved, and 13 aircraft will remain grounded until “the root cause can be established and a satisfactory solution made available to permanently correct the underlying condition.’
The problem first arose when the paint was stripped off a four-year-old A350 to be painted in the colors of the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar.
Qatar Airways is planning to put its A330 fleet into service and is looking for other solutions to fill the gap caused by the withdrawal of the A350s from service.
Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways Group, said:
“With this latest development, we sincerely expect that Airbus treats this matter with the proper attention that it requires. Qatar Airways will not accept anything other than aircraft that continue to offer its customers the highest possible standard of safety and the best travel experience that they deserve. Qatar Airways expects Airbus to have established the root cause and permanently corrected the underlying condition to the satisfaction of Qatar Airways and our regulator before we take delivery of any further A350 aircraft.”
