The ongoing dispute between Airbus and Qatar Airways over A350 paint degradation has been escalated today, as Airbus seeks legal advice to defend its flagship long-haul aircraft.
For months Airbus and Qatar have not been able to come to terms with a paint issue that has lead to significant amounts of strong words from Akbar Al Baker, Group CEO of Qatar Airways. Up until recently when pictures were published exclusively by Reuters, the extent of the problem was entirely unknown outside of online speculation and small snippets of information released by those involved.
Whilst it is now clear that the issues concern the lightning protection and paint durability on the aircraft, Airbus argues that it does not affect flight safety. This is backed up by the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA), stating the issues have been examined thoroughly by the manufacturer and safety authorities and will not cause airworthiness issues for the A350 fleet.
However, Qatar Airways and its domestic aviation safety regulator disagree and have now grounded 20 A350s. To replace the missing aircraft Qatar Airways has elected to re-activate a selection of widebodies, including the A380.
Airbus has previously offered solutions to the problem, including patch repairs and repainting, however Qatar declined the offers, citing the solutions as short term fixes.
On the other hand, Airbus says it understands what has caused the issue and is in the process of conducting further analysis.
“The attempt by this customer to misrepresent this specific topic as an airworthiness issue represents a threat to the international protocols on safety matters.”
Airbus said in a statement
Acclaimed aviation journalist Jon Ostrower shared on social media that Airbus’ decision to seek legal advice on the matter may be a result of A350 operators pushing Airbus to defend its product.
At least five other A350 operators have encountered similar paint issues on their A350s, however they have not grounded the aircraft and nor have their regulators required them to. Delta is the latest, announcing this week that paint degradation had been spotted on some of their A350s.
In an attempt to clear up some of the statements circulating about the A350s lightning protection, Airbus says that EASAs recently proposed corrective steps regarding missing expanded copper foil on 13 aircraft is different in nature. Additionally, the aircraft is set to be or have already been inspected as per the directive and an updated production process has been adapted.
Furthermore, Airbus stands by the A350 with its 99.5 percent operational reliability and its ability to perform a range of tasks during the worst of the COVID-19 global travel decline.
The average commercial jet is struck by lightning at least once a year, and more composite based aircraft like the A350 and especially 787 are more prone to lightning damage due to composite being an insulator of vs traditional metal frame aluminum being a conductor of electricity. Both planes rely on a metal mesh as lightning protection, and any major holes in the mesh can cause major damage to the plane in a lightning strike.
Reading the linked Reuters article, it looks like the paint cracking is an issue with the composite frame expanding and contracting at a different rate than the paint itself on both the A350 and 787: “Finally, unlike metal, carbon does not expand and shrink as temperatures change. Yet paint does, resulting in a tug of war between plane and paint that can cause peeling over time.”