PARIS, FRANCE (REUTERS) — Airbus has revoked the contract for a third A350 ordered by Qatar Airways after the Gulf carrier rejected delivery in an ongoing dispute over damage to the surface of the long-haul jets, two people familiar with the matter said.
The number of A350s grounded by the airline in the dispute was overexposed, and damaged lightning protection has reached 23, bringing the value of compensation sought by the carrier to slightly over $1 billion, they said.
on Thursday, Qatar Airways will ask a UK judge to extend a temporary order freezing the decision to cancel the A321neo order pending a final hearing on the A350 case, expected later this year.
Bloomberg News reported earlier that Airbus planned to delay a planned increase in A350 production because of the combined impact of the Ukraine war and the Qatar dispute.
