Qatar seals Boeing freighter deal
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Qatar Airways’ record order is a blow to rival Airbus which is locked in a bitter dispute with the Doha-based airline over alleged issues with the skin surface of its A350 aircraft
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QATAR AIRWAYS-AIRBUS DISPUTE

AIRBUS A350 XWB (Extra-wide body) 

Airframe: Mainly carbon composite – non-conductive material means aircraft requires protection against lightning strikes

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Nov 2020: Qatar Airways raises concerns over state of its A350 fleet after attempt to repaint five-year-old jet in World Cup livery exposes around 980 defects

Jun 2021: Qatar Civil Aviation Authority starts to withdraw flying permits for individual
A350 planes

Dec 20: Qatar Airways sues Airbus over skin flaws, seeking $618 million plus $4 million
per day as compensation for grounding of 21 A350s. Airbus insists jets are safe to fly despite some “surface degradation”

Jan 21, 2022: Dispute escalates after Airbus cancels $6bn deal with Qatar Airways for 50 A321neo passenger jets

SURFACE STRUCTURE
Paint
Copper mesh layer Insulates jet against lightning strike
External skin of aircraft

Jan 31: Qatar Airways hands Boeing record launch order for 34 new 777X freighters and 25 737 MAX passenger jets as President Joe Biden hails Gulf state as major U.S. ally

BOEING 777X
World’s largest twin-engine passenger plane

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Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, Boeing, Airbus
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