Airbus and Qatar Airways settle A350 cracked paint dispute

Airbus said Wednesday Feb. 1 it has reached an “amicable settlement” in its legal dispute with Qatar Airways over the degraded surface of grounded A350 jets, averting a potentially damaging court trial.

Qatar Airways had claimed corrosion left exposed by cracked surface paint on its fleet of A350s presented a safety risk and grounded 29 aircraft over the issue.

Airbus acknowledged the degradation but said the issue is only cosmetic and does not represent a risk to safety; the increasingly bitter public dispute had led the planemaker to revoke dozens of jet orders from Qatar.

The company said details of the settlement are confidential and the parties will proceed to discontinue legal claims; the agreement is not an admission of liability for either party.