Qatar Airways cabin crew stand in front of an Airbus A350-1000 at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoonto delay any practical impact of a decision to revoke a $6 billion jet order from Qatar Airways for several weeks, as two of aviation's most powerful players wage an escalating court battle.
The two sides have been clashing for months about surface flaws on A350s, some of which have been grounded by Qatar over safety concerns as its airline sues Airbus for $600 million.Airbus acknowledges quality problems but accuses the airline of mislabelling them as a safety issue to secure compensation.
Pending the first of those hearings, a UK judge rejected an Airbus request for more time to prepare and ordered the company not to do anything in the meantime that may scupper its ability to fulfil the A321neo deal if Qatar wins that part of the case. The first plane is due for delivery in February 2023, with planes due to be delivered at a rate of six a year. Planemakers usually order parts up to a year ahead.