Air Caraibes, French Bee recapitalise, see in A350-1000s

More airlines complain of A350 paint issues - report

As Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int'l) continues to park over a third of its A350s over fuselage paint quality issues, Reuters has revealed that other carriers are experiencing the same issue.

According to internal messages between Airbus and airlines seen by the news agency, Finnair, Lufthansa, Air France (as a maintenance provider for A350s operated by Air Caraibes Atlantique), Etihad Airways, and Cathay Pacific have all complained about similar issues. The news agency also published photos of the damage, documenting the copper anti-lighting mesh showing under the fuselage paint that has peeled off. Although the issue is believed to be mainly aesthetic and does not impact aircraft safety, Qatar Airways and one other unidentified airline have reportedly noted that wiring has also been damaged, possibly increasing the exposure of the aircraft to inclement weather.

Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa confirmed they observed some "cosmetic damage", while Air Caraibes and Air France reported no issues. The manufacturer conceded that the A350s experienced "early surface wear" and highlighted it was...

Air Caraibes may need French state aid amid new lockdowns

French Bee moves Canadian stopover to Toronto

French Bee (BF, Paris Orly) has announced that all of its flights between Paris Orly and Papeete will operate with a refuelling stopover at Toronto Pearson airport rather than the usual Vancouver Int'l through October 4, 2021.

The carrier did not provide any rationale for the change. Flightradar24 ADS-B data indicates the first flight to use the new routing did so on July 30, 2021.

French Bee, which is a unit of Groupe Dubreuil and thus a sister carrier of Air Caraibes (TX, Pointe à Pitre) and Air Caraibes Atlantique (CAJ, Paris Orly), does not carry passengers to Canada from either French Polynesia or mainland France. Because of that, its 3x weekly services to Papeete are treated as domestic flights, making them the longest domestic service in the world. In spring 2020, during the first global wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline operated the route non-stop on a cargo-only flight with a limited payload.

The airline operates four A350-900s and deploys them out...

France’s Groupe Dubreuil in state aid talks, eyes Orly slots