Exclusive: Twenty-three grounded Airbus A350s in Doha are at the center of a $1 billion court battle between QatarAirways and Airbus. This on-site visit shows what appears to be evidence of damage to the surface of wingtips, tail and hull of two planes
A view shows the Qatar Airways' airbus A350 parked outside Qatar Airways maintenance hangar in Doha, Qatar, June 20, 2022. REUTERS/Imad CreidiDOHA, June 22 - Two high-tech Airbus A350 jets sit idle with their windows taped and engines covered in a floodlit hangar in the Gulf, hobbled by an international legal dispute between European industrial giant AirbusFrom a distance, the planes might seem like any other long-haul jetliners crowding the busy Doha hub.
In other parts it appeared to be missing, leaving areas of the composite hull of the aircraft exposed to the environments. Airbus has argued that some paint erosion is a feature of the carbon-composite technology used to build all modern long-haul jets - a necessary trade-off for weight savings. Qatar Airways' Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker and Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury had the opportunity to mingle during the three-day industry gathering in Qatar this week.