Emirates (EK, Dubai International) has demanded that Airbus address the A350 fuselage paint degradation issue before any aircraft are delivered to the airline, Chairman Tim Clark told AirlineRating.com.
"Our engineers looked at these A350s and said they are not in a good shape. So we say to Toulouse: By the delivery of the A350, you will have cracked this problem, otherwise, you will face us with no deliveries either," he warned.
Clark added that he was "not unsympathetic to Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International)", which is embroiled in a much publicized legal dispute with the manufacturer over the aircraft. He said Airbus had to resolve the problem "as quickly as possible" as it was clear that the surface paint defects were due to the manufacturer's error.
Emirates has fifty A350-900s on firm order from Airbus with deliveries due to begin in mid-2023, the ch-aviation fleets module highlights.
Regional rival Qatar Airways operates thirty-four A350-900s and nineteen A350-1000s. However, twenty-three A350s have been grounded by the Qatari Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) due to flaking fuselage paint, which Airbus maintains is not an airworthiness issue. The two companies are currently involved in a legal battle in the London High Court - Qatar Airways is seeking in excess of USD618 million in damages from Airbus, while the manufacturer recently filed a counter-claim for USD220 million.
