The European plane manufacturer said the termination of the contract for the A321neo’s was followed with attempts to reach a solution.
Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said his company is seeking an “amicable” settlement over its long-standing dispute with Qatar Airways, Reuters reported on Thursday.
The statement comes as Airbus and Qatar Airways continue to go head-to-head at the UK High Court over defects in Airbus’ A350 jets.
The Qatari flag carrier had discovered in late-2020 and early 2021 that the surface paint over the lighting protection on 21 airplanes was eroding. The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) decided to ground those planes last year.
Qatar Airways took the case to court in December and demanded $618 million in contractual compensation from Airbus.
The dispute escalated when Airbus terminated a contract with Qatar Airways for 50 smaller A321neo jets in January. Such move has been described as “rare” in the aviation industry.
“This decision followed many attempts to find mutually beneficial solutions and we continue to hope for an amicable solution,” said Faury.
Citing experts, Reuters reported that Qatar Airways is seeking a court ruling to prevent the cancellation of the deal.
With the grounded jets representing 40% of Qatar Airways’ A350 fleets, the airline signed a major $34 billion deal with Airbus’ competitor, Boeing.
The deal was signed during a White House ceremony in January, where Qatar Airways secured an order for 50 Boeing 737 Max 10 jets, the largest model in the Max family.
Qatar Airways also became Boeing’s launch customer for a freighter version of Boeing’s future flagship jet, the 777X.
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