Airbus denounced Thursday before the British justice of the obstacles put, according to the aircraft manufacturer, by Qatar Airways in the preparation of the lawsuit opposing them about defects on long-haul A350s that the company has grounded.
In a memorandum submitted to the High Court in London on the occasion of a new preliminary hearing and which AFP consulted, Airbus declared that it was encountering "
long delays, followed by unhelpful, obstructive and evasive responses
" from the company to the requests for documents that he sends to it to prepare the trial.
This is to be held in June.
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The disclosures of documents from Qatar Airways, demanded in court by Airbus, are "
unacceptably deficient
" and have "
obvious shortcomings
", according to the aircraft manufacturer.
Airbus thus estimates that it has received only 11% of around 900 A350 maintenance bulletins deemed necessary and requested by its experts.
He is also surprised that he has not received any document or correspondence addressed to the CEO of the company Akbar Al Baker, or from him, in connection with the problems of the A350.
For Airbus, it is "
inconceivable
" that the powerful Qatari boss and minister "
was not involved
" in the flight ban of the company's planes.
Unless Qatar Airways "
adopts a cooperative approach, the parties will not be able to complete the required steps before the trial
", worries the aircraft manufacturer.
Since June 2021, the Qatari company has gradually grounded 29 long-haul A350s due to paint damage which, according to the national regulator QCAA, affects flight safety.
It is demanding $200,000 in compensation per plane per day of downtime, or about $2.5 billion at this stage.
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The aircraft manufacturer recognizes a degradation of the paint which could expose a metal net integrated into the fuselage in composite materials, intended to protect the plane in the event of a lightning strike, but rejects any consequence on safety, as does the European Agency for aviation safety (EASA).
Finally, Airbus informed the judge that a meeting expected for several months and scheduled for January 11 in Doha between the QCAA, EASA, Airbus and Qatar Airways had to be canceled due to last minute demands from the company.
A new one is supposed to be held on January 25.
