The Qatari flag carrier, Qatar Airways lost a court case on Tuesday against the European multinational aircraft manufacturer, Airbus to prevent the latter from terminating a contract for 50 A321neo aircraft.
Major set back
Under the verdict issued by London’s High Court judge, David Waksman Airbus was cleared to terminate the contract and resell the aircraft to other customers. Moreover, it compels the gulf airline to pay Airbus $331,000 in legal fees over the next two weeks.
The verdict marks a major setback for the airline in the sprawling legal dispute with the aircraft manufacturing giant.
Safety concerns
Airbus terminated a contract of 50 A321neo aircraft after the airline filed a legal case over surface damage across its A350 wide-body fleet, citing safety concerns and seeking $982 million in compensation.
“Qatar can source alternative aircraft to make up for the shortfall in A321s meant to join the service during the fourth quarter of 2023,” the judge said, noting that leased aircraft could cover the airline’s operational needs.
Wacksman further highlighted that should the airline win the A350 case against Airbus, the airframer can choose to include the carrier in its A321 production schedule.
On its part, Qatar Airways announced it was after a preliminary verdict on whether the planemaker has conducted an adequate analysis of the A350s’ airworthiness concerns.
Furthermore, it asked the court to prohibit the latter from selling rejected A350s to other customers.
