A judge calls for a speedy trial in the Qatar Airways v Airbus case. But at the same time he wants the two parties to sit down again first.
Reading Qatar Airways’ statement, one might think it was a win across the board. “We are delighted with today’s ruling by the High Court in London,” said the golf airline. The aim was to find out quickly how bad the surface damage to the Airbus A350 really was. “We are extremely pleased that we have succeeded in doing this with today’s verdict.”
The judge in London has indeed ordered a speedy procedure. “I have no doubt that this case should be tried as soon as possible,” Judge David Waksman said, according to the news agency Archyde.com. However, Qatar Airways turned down two applications. Airbus is allowed to continue trying to deliver A350s to the Gulf airline or place them with other customers.
All dangerous…
Even if the judge is speeding up – that does not mean that a court date has already been set. He demands that the two parties to the dispute first sit down again. “At the moment it looks like the case is not solvable – but that could change,” Waksman said, according to Archyde.com. In his opinion, the costs for both sides are far too high, according to the judge. It would therefore be ideal if they agreed.
However, that is questionable. So far, neither Qatar Airways nor Airbus have shown any willingness to give in to the dispute. the Golf airline claims surface coating damage is dangerous and has grounded more than a dozen Airbus A350s at the behest of the Qatar Aviation Authority. There is even that Risk of fire in the tank.
… or rather harmless?
Airbus says it’s all unfortunate but harmless. There is no threat to airworthiness. The European aviation authority Easa also sees no need for action regarding the Airbus A350. Deterioration of the paintwork and protective coating of certain A350s is known. But there is no indication that this affects the structure of the aircraft or poses any other risks.