Qatar Airways fits 13 Airbus A350s and reactivates A330s

In June, Qatar Airways suspended deliveries of Airbus A350 planes, citing a defect in which surfaces under paint deteriorated “At an accelerated pace”.

Today, in a statement issued by the airline, Qatar Airways said it had, following explicit written instructions from its dispatcher, immobilized thirteen Airbus A350s on the ground; effectively remove them from service, until the root cause can be established and a satisfactory solution is available to permanently correct the underlying condition. 2 A350-1000 and 11 A350-900 are involved.

Qatar Airways has already taken steps to return its A330 fleet to service, with immediate effect, to offset part of the impact of the grounded A350 and is currently exploring other solutions as well.

In addition to the airline’s emphasis on protecting its reputation for providing the highest levels of customer experience, Qatar Airways is also cooperating with all leasing companies affected by this A350 downtime; these leasing companies have also started to inspect their impacted aircraft.

Qatar Airways Group Managing Director His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said: “With this latest development, we sincerely hope that Airbus will address this issue with the appropriate attention it requires. Qatar Airways will not accept anything other than aircraft that continue to provide its customers with the highest possible level of safety and the best travel experience 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 dispatcher before taking delivery of any other A350 aircraft.”

Managing Director of the Qatar Airways Group, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker