The battle between Qatar Airways and aircraft manufacturer Airbus has intensified after the airline published a video of what it claims is proof of "serious and legitimate safety concerns" with the A350 model.
Qatar has grounded 21 of its A350s; it has 53 in its fleet. The grounding is reportedly costing Qatar US$4 million per day.
The Doha-based airline claims poor manufacturing has caused issues such as paint deterioration and issues with anti-lightning protection. While Airbus agrees these areas need attention, the European manufacturer says there's no need for the aircraft to be grounded as there are no safety risks.
Qatar took the unusual step of releasing photos and videos of the damage across its social media platforms in an effort to increase the pressure on Airbus to pay compensation.
The video shows large areas of paint peeling off the aircraft, specifically on its iconic large wingtips.
As well as pausing any further orders with Airbus, Qatar is seeking US$618 million in damages as well as the US$4 million per day the grounding is costing the airline.
While Airbus hasn't directly responded about the video, it did say the issues had not appeared elsewhere with any other airline.
The Airbus A350 is one of the most modern passenger planes flying in our skies today. Airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific frequently operate the aircraft in and out of Aotearoa.
