FILE PHOTO: A view shows the Qatar Airways' airbus A350 parked outside Qatar Airways maintenance hangar in Doha, Qatar, June 20, 2022. Picture taken June 20, 2022. REUTERS/Imad |
After months of public feuding, there is no guarantee that
an agreement can be reached after previous attempts to avoid a high-profile
trial in London this year were abandoned.
But two of the sources said the tone appeared more
encouraging and negotiations had accelerated after a flurry of political
activity and a smooth four-way meeting between the two companies and their
respective regulators in Doha last week.
"There will be an agreement," one of the sources
said, while another cautioned that the talks were still ongoing. Airbus and
Qatar Airways had no immediate comment.
The two companies have been fighting in a UK court for
months over the safety impact of flaking paint that exposed corrosion and gaps
in a sub-layer of lightning protection.
The dispute between two of aviation's largest players has
led to the unprecedented cancellation of large-scale orders from Airbus, and
extra business for its U.S. rival Boeing.
The feud between two of the flagship companies of France and
Qatar, which have strong diplomatic and economic ties, has also risen to the
attention of leaders of the two countries.
Diplomatic sources told Reuters this month that French
President Emmanuel Macron and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani had
spoken again about the dispute in recent weeks.
An official in Macron's office said on Tuesday it had
"no comment at this stage". Qatar's government media office did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.
FINANCE MINISTER TALKS
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire also discussed the
issue during a four-day visit in the Gulf region which included a stop on
Sunday in Doha, where he met with the emir and other officials, a French
finance ministry source said.
Damage reported to the A350 anti-lightning system has
prompted Qatar Airways to stop taking deliveries and sue Airbus for a sum that
has risen well above $1 billion.
Qatar's regulator has grounded at least 29 of the jets,
citing unanswered safety questions, over the past year.
Airbus has acknowledged quality problems with its premier
long-haul model but denies any risk to safety, supported by its own regulator.
It has cancelled all outstanding new business with Qatar Airways, while
launching its own counter-claim.
Other airlines continue to fly the jets, but some have
reached their own agreements for compensation or repairs to similar surface
damage which has been spotted across several carriers, according to industry
sources and court documents.
Qatar Airways has accused Airbus of colluding with the
European Union Aviation Safety Agency, which declared the jet safe. Asked about
the claim, the agency's executive director, Patrick Ky, told Reuters in an
interview: "Of course not."
Airbus has meanwhile accused Qatar Airways of being the
hidden hand behind decisions to ground jets by the Qatar Civil Aviation
Authority, a charge the airline denies. The QCAA has repeatedly declined to
comment on the case. Reuter