$618 Million in Compensation Claimed in Airbus A350 Case

In the Airbus A350 lawsuit regarding erosion on the surface of jet aircraft, it was learned that Qatar Airways claimed $618 million in compensation from aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Due to problems with Airbus A350 aircraft, the company announced that the A350 fleet will be grounded and the aircraft in the A330 fleet will be used temporarily, which will affect the operation program. Qatar Airways has also claimed an additional $4 million in compensation for each day 21 of its Airbus A350 aircraft are unable to fly due to surface damage, including erosion and voids in the lightning protection layer. Airbus announced that it was proposing workarounds ranging from repairs to repainting, accusing Qatar Airways of ignoring these recommendations without reasonable justification. The company's largest client filed the lawsuit in December, stating that Airbus failed to provide the full root cause analysis needed to satisfy questions about the airworthiness of around 40% of its A350 fleet. “Airbus continues to state that there are no airworthiness issues,” a spokesperson said, adding that this view has been endorsed by European regulators. Qatar Airways, on the other hand, did not comment on the matter. For months, the companies struggled with damage such as blistered paint, rivet-related cracks and corrosion on the lightning protection substrate. In November, an investigation revealed that at least five different airlines had discovered surface defects, after which controversy flared when Airbus announced that it intended to install a new unit and create a new lightning arrester design for future A350 aircraft.