{"id":19405,"date":"2022-03-31T18:43:33","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T13:13:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=19405"},"modified":"2022-04-02T12:41:58","modified_gmt":"2022-04-02T07:11:58","slug":"qatar-airways-now-claims-a350-paint-defect-could-lead-to-fuel-tank-fires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/31\/qatar-airways-now-claims-a350-paint-defect-could-lead-to-fuel-tank-fires\/","title":{"rendered":"Qatar Airways now claim A350 paint defect could lead to fuel tank fires"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><strong>The carrier has raised concerns that the paint degradation could permit the ingress of pollutants, damaging the lightning mesh around the jet&#8217;s fuel tanks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>In the latest of the ongoing feud between&nbsp;Airbus&nbsp;and&nbsp;Qatar Airways, the Doha-based carrier has claimed that surface wear on the affected&nbsp;Airbus A350s&nbsp;could lead to fuel tank fires.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Qatar-Airways-Airbus-A350-1041-A7-ANQ-1-1000x667-1.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19406\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Qatar-Airways-Airbus-A350-1041-A7-ANQ-1-1000x667-1.webp 1000w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Qatar-Airways-Airbus-A350-1041-A7-ANQ-1-1000x667-1-600x400.webp 600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Qatar-Airways-Airbus-A350-1041-A7-ANQ-1-1000x667-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Qatar-Airways-Airbus-A350-1041-A7-ANQ-1-1000x667-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Qatar-Airways-Airbus-A350-1041-A7-ANQ-1-1000x667-1-750x500.webp 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption><strong> Qatar Airways | Aviationa2z.com<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>According to&nbsp;Bloomberg, in recently released court documents, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.qatarairways.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Qatar Airways<\/a> has cited an&nbsp;EASA&nbsp;security assessment from April 2021, noting that damage to the lightning mesh could pose a risk if it were co-incident with fuel tanks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The airline has stated that the damage to the skin is so severe that there are concerns wind and pollutants could penetrate through the skin and damage the lightning mesh. With significant damage seen on the wings where the jet\u2019s fuel tanks are located, Qatar Airways argues that it is a co-incident.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also, read  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2021\/07\/13\/adani-finally-takes-over-the-chhatrapati-shivaji-mumbai-international-airport\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Adani finally takes over the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Mumbai International Airport  <\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2021\/07\/19\/karnataka-government-break-buildings-taller-than-45m-near-jakkur-airport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow\">Karnataka Government: Break buildings taller than 45m near Jakkur airport <\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/29\/air-india-bans-travel-agents-from-selling-canada-tickets-over-gouging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow\">Air India bans travel agents from selling Canada tickets Over gouging<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"details-of-the-dispute\">Airbus and Qatar airways <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The feud between Airbus and Qatar has been ongoing for over a year, with both sides accepting public blows at each other. Qatar saw quality issues with the widebody back in early 2021, centered near the degradation of the jet\u2019s paint, leading to the lightning mesh under the surface becoming exposed. The airline escalated its concerns,&nbsp;grounding 13 of its A350s in August to \u200b\u201censure the restarted security of all passengers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reuters&nbsp;found that five other airlines had raised concerns about the issue, mainly citing cosmetic damage. However, at least one airline had noted that the wear had become so significant that the mesh had started developing gaps, too \u2013 exposing the bare fuselage to the elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Airbus clarified that the problem was \u2018early surface wear,\u2019 with the affected airlines agreeing it is a cosmetic problem and not a safety concern. A350 regulator, EASA, has not classified the defects as an airworthiness issue and has assured that the jet is airworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The issue stems from the A350\u2019s carbon fiber fuselage, which needs a mesh installed for lightning conduction. The material also does not experience the usual expansion and contraction pressurization cycle than typical aluminum bodies do, which is thought to be a reason for the paint degradation as paint does expand and contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"latest-developments\">Qatar launched legal proceedings against Airbus&nbsp;after <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/T0705QATAR_C-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/T0705QATAR_C-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/T0705QATAR_C-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/T0705QATAR_C-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/T0705QATAR_C-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/T0705QATAR_C-750x422.jpg 750w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/T0705QATAR_C.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><strong>Aviationa2z.com<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In December,&nbsp;Qatar launched legal proceedings against Airbus&nbsp;after both parties had failed to find a constructive solution, seeking $618 million in compensation. The airline has refused to take any further A350 deliveries until a formal analysis is completed<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Airbus claimed there was no \u201creasonable or rational basis\u201d for Qatar\u2019s grounding of the jets, agreeing that there were quality issues but accusing the airline of mislabeling them as a safety concern to receive compensation.&nbsp;The manufacturer canceled Qatar\u2019s entire $6.35 billion A321 order&nbsp;following tense pre-trial proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Qatar answered to the cancellation by releasing a report on YouTube, displaying significant damage to the surface of three grounded jets. The airline commented that the release showed that the damage was not just superficial and exposed the actual composite structure.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite declaring an order for 100 of rival Boeing\u2019s 737 MAX and 777X freighters&nbsp;to replace the revoked Airbus orders, several representatives from Qatar Airways have refuted claims that the relationship between the two has grown tense. Speaking to Bloomberg, Senior Manager of production oversight and aircraft deliveries for Qatar Airways, Krunoslav Krajacevic, noted<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"612\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-5-1-1024x612.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-5-1-1024x612.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-5-1-600x359.jpg 600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-5-1-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-5-1-768x459.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-5-1-1536x919.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-5-1-750x449.jpg 750w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-5-1-1140x682.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-5-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><strong>Aviationa2z.com<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cQatar Airways and Airbus have operated together for more than 20 years, I am confident that the relationship will stay strong and continue despite these proceedings.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The dispute is expected to come to a head at London\u2019s High Court next month.<br><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Thank you<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stay updated with aviationa2z. co. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The carrier has raised concerns that the paint degradation could permit the ingress of pollutants, damaging the lightning mesh around the jet&#8217;s fuel tanks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6761,416],"tags":[197,5618,313,392,5617,517,1117],"class_list":{"0":"post-19405","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-quick-updates","9":"tag-airbus","10":"tag-airbus-and-qatar-airways","11":"tag-aircraft","12":"tag-airlines-news","13":"tag-fuels","14":"tag-qatar","15":"tag-qatar-airways"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19405"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19463,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19405\/revisions\/19463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}