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Business

Airbus and Qatar Airways settle bitter A350 jet row

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PARIS, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Airbus (AIR.PA) and Qatar Airways have settled a dispute over grounded A350 jets, the companies said on Wednesday, averting a potentially damaging UK court trial after a blistering 18-month feud that tore the lid off the global jet market.

The “amicable and mutually agreeable settlement” ends a $2 billion row over surface damage on the long-haul jets. The spat led to the withdrawal of billions of dollars’ worth of jet deals by Airbus and prompted Qatar to increase purchases from Boeing.

The cancelled orders for 23 undelivered A350s and 50 smaller A321neos have been restored under the new deal, which is also expected to see Airbus pay several hundred million dollars to the Gulf carrier, while winning a reprieve from other claims.

Financial details were not publicly disclosed.

The companies said neither admitted liability. Both pledged to drop claims and “move forward and work together as partners”.

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The deal heads off what amounted to an unprecedented public divorce trial between heavyweights in the normally tight-knit and secretive $150 billion jet industry.

The two sides had piled up combined claims and counter-claims worth about $2 billion ahead of the June trial.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire welcomed the deal, which came in the wake of increasing political involvement amid close ties between France, where Airbus is based, and Qatar.

“It is the culmination of significant joint efforts. It is excellent news for the French aerospace industry,” he said.

Airbus shares closed up 1% before the announcement.

Qatar Airways had taken the unusual step of publicly challenging the world’s largest planemaker over safety after paint cracks exposed gaps in a sub-layer of lightning protection on its new-generation A350 carbon-composite jets.

Airbus had acknowledged quality flaws but, backed by European regulators, had insisted that the jets were safe and accused the airline of exaggerating flaws to win compensation.

DAMAGES

Supported by a growing army of lawyers, both sides repeatedly bickered in preliminary hearings over access to documents, to the growing frustration of a judge forced to order co-operation.

Analysts said the deal would allow both sides to feel vindicated, with Qatar Airways winning damages and recognition that the problem lay outside the manual and therefore required a new repair, and Airbus standing its ground on safety and spared the difficult task of finding a home for cancelled A350s.

Qatar will get the in-demand A321neos needed to plan its growth, albeit three years later than expected, in 2026. Airbus’ decision to revoke that order, separate from the disputed A350 contract, had been criticised by global airlines group IATA.

Airbus said it had done its best to avoid pushing Qatar too far back in the queue, though some experts question whether it could have met the earlier schedule because of supply problems.

The settlement is also expected to stop the clock ticking on a claim for grounding compensation that had been growing by $6 million a day, triggered by a clause agreed upon after the repainting of a jet for the World Cup revealed significant surface damage.

Originally valued at $200,000 per day per plane, Airbus’ theoretical liability was ratcheting upwards by a total of $250,000 an hour for 30 jets – or $2 billion a year – by the time the deal was struck, based on court filings. Neither side commented on settlement details.

Airbus said it would now work with the airline and regulators to provide the necessary “repair solution” and return Qatar’s 30 grounded planes to the air.

Confirmation of a settlement came after Reuters reported a deal could arrive as early as Wednesday. In 2021, a Reuters investigation revealed other airlines had been affected by A350 skin degradation, all of whom said it was “cosmetic”.

The dispute has focused attention on the design of modern carbon-fibre jets, which do not interact as smoothly with paint as traditional metal ones, and shed light on industrial methods.

Additional reporting by Leigh Thomas, Michel Rose
Editing by David Goodman, Diane Craft and Gerry Doyle

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Business

Airbus slams sceptical supplier Raytheon over jet output

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PARIS, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Europe’s Airbus (AIR.PA) clashed on Friday with U.S. giant Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) over plans for a record leap in jetliner output, after the industry’s largest contractor questioned whether a battered supply chain could keep up.

The world’s largest planemaker said it was sticking with a two-part plan to raise output by 50% from current levels in 2025 – a goal that would contribute to Airbus becoming the first civil planemaker to deliver 1,000 planes in a single year.

Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said demand was likely to outstrip supply for the most-produced medium-haul models where Airbus enjoys a lead over U.S. rival Boeing (BA.N).

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But speaking at the company’s first full-scale investor event for four years, he acknowledged worries from inflation to interest rates and said the wide-body recovery was less certain.

“We are in a period where things are accelerating; we have multiple crises to manage,” Faury said.

He talked of a possible share buyback as Airbus rebuilds cash depleted by what he called the “existential crisis” of COVID-19, but cautioned “we are not there yet”.

Airbus shares floated in and out of positive territory and by mid-afternoon were up 0.4%.

A travel bounce-back outside China has seen demand for medium-haul A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX jets recover faster than expected. But Airbus’ plans to build 75 A320neo-family jets a month in 2025, up from around 50 now, have met with some scepticism.

The head of Raytheon Technologies, which owns engine maker Pratt & Whitney, told a conference last week that Faury “might say rate 75, but we think rate 65 is doable” by 2025.

Faury called the comments “really unhelpful” and said engine makers were worried by the timing, not the number. “They believe in 75. I can be quoted because I checked,” he told investors.

Raytheon had no immediate comment.

Reuters reported this week Airbus had relaxed pressure on suppliers to commit to the 2025 deadline, leaving room for it to slip to 2026, but was sticking to targets for now. The company has not said when in 2025 it might hit the 75 goal. read more

The key, suppliers say, is when targets can be hit consistently.

“We will see when we plan to hit rate 75, in (20)25 hopefully. I am committed to (20)25. That’s probably something we will be communicating more precisely on at our full-year results,” Faury said on Friday.

A220 UPGRADE

Airbus meanwhile gave the strongest hint yet that it plans to launch a bigger version of its 110-to-130-seat A220 passenger jet but gave no clues about the decision’s timing.

A stretched version of the lightweight airplane makes a lot of sense, “but we don’t want to be right too early”, Faury said.

The A220 was developed with an eye on the main part of the jet market but Canada’s Bombardier struggled to keep up with the investments needed to displace Airbus and Boeing and sold its aerospace jewel to Airbus in 2018.

Airbus has faced higher-than-expected costs on the loss-making programme but believes it can break even by mid-decade.

An A220-500 would begin the process of replacing the 150-seat-plus A320neo, Europe’s aerospace cash-cow and a major battleground in the transatlantic war for sales with Boeing.

Airbus has seized a commanding lead in the main part of the single-aisle market, most recently through the larger A321neo, which finance chief Dominik Asam said would have an increasing proportion of sales.

Although Airbus was born as a producer of wide-body long-haul jets with the A300, which took flight 50 years ago next month, its biggest commercial success by far has been in workhorse single-aisle jets made popular by budget carriers.

Improvements in the largest single-aisle jets have eaten into the lower end of a market reserved for decades for wide-body jets like Boeing’s 747, 777 and 787 or the Airbus A350.

Faury said Airbus aimed to step up competition with Boeing in the wide-body market, starting with the new A350 Freighter. Experts say Boeing dominates air cargo and has so far outsold the A350 with its future 777X Freighter.

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Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Edmund Blair and Mark Potter

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World

Exclusive: Europe eyes Musk’s SpaceX to bridge launch gap left by Russia tensions

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PARIS, Aug 12 (Reuters) – The European Space Agency (ESA) has begun preliminary technical discussions with Elon Musk’s SpaceX that could lead to the temporary use of its launchers after the Ukraine conflict blocked Western access to Russia’s Soyuz rockets.

The private American competitor to Europe’s Arianespace has emerged as a key contender to plug a temporary gap alongside Japan and India, but final decisions depend on the still unresolved timetable for Europe’s delayed Ariane 6 rocket.

“I would say there are two and a half options that we’re discussing. One is SpaceX that is clear. Another one is possibly Japan,” ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher told Reuters.

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“Japan is waiting for the inaugural flight of its next generation rocket. Another option could be India,” he added in an interview.

“SpaceX I would say is the more operational of those and certainly one of the back-up launches we are looking at.”

Aschbacher said talks remained at an exploratory phase.

“We of course need to make sure that they are suitable. It’s not like jumping on a bus,” he said. For example, the interface between satellite and launcher must be suitable and the payload must not be compromised by unfamiliar types of launch vibration.

“We are looking into this technical compatibility but we have not asked for a commercial offer yet. We just want to make sure that it would be an option in order to make a decision on asking for a firm commercial offer,” Aschbacher said.

SpaceX did not reply to a request for comment.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has already swept up other customers severing ties with Moscow’s increasingly isolated space sector amid the Ukraine conflict, but a high-profile European mission could be seen as a significant win for the U.S. rocket maker.

Aschbacher stressed any back-up solution would be temporary, however, adding he was not worried about the future of Ariane 6.

Satellite internet firm OneWeb, a competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet venture, booked at least one Falcon 9 launch in March. It has also booked an Indian launch.

On Monday, Northrop Grumman booked three Falcon 9 missions to ferry NASA cargo to the International Space Station while it designs a new version of its Antares rocket, whose Russian-made engines were withdrawn by Moscow in response to sanctions.

‘WAKE-UP CALL’

Europe has until now depended on the Italian Vega for small payloads, Russia’s Soyuz for medium ones and the Ariane 5 for heavy missions. Its next-generation Vega C staged a debut last month and the new Ariane 6, designed in two versions to replace both the Ariane 5 and Soyuz, has been delayed until next year.

Aschbacher said a more precise Ariane 6 schedule would be clearer by October after current hot-firing testing. ESA would then finalise a back-up plan to be presented to ministers of the agency’s 22 nations in November, he said, adding the most recent Ariane 6 delay was not the result of any signifcant new setback.

“But yes, the likelihood of the need for back-up launches is high,” he said. “The order of magnitude is certainly a good handful of launches that we would need interim solutions for.”

Aschbacher said the Ukraine conflict had demonstrated Europe’s decade-long cooperation strategy with Russia in gas supplies and other areas including space was no longer working.

“This was a wake up call, that we have been too dependent on Russia. And this wake-up call, we have to hope that decision makers realise it as much as I do, that we have to really strengthen our European capability and independence.”

However, he played down the prospect of Russia carrying out a pledge to withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS).

Russia’s newly appointed space chief Yuri Borisov said in a televised meeting with President Vladimir Putin last month that Russia would withdraw from the ISS “after 2024”.

But Borisov later clarified that Russia’s plans had not changed and Western officials said Russia’s space agency had not communicated any new pullout plans.

“The reality is that operationally, the work on the space station is proceeding, I would say almost nominally,” Aschbacher told Reuters. “We do depend on each other, like it or not, but we have little choice.”

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Reporting by Tim Hepher and Joey Roulette
Editing by Mark Potter

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Business

Exclusive: Airbus axes remaining A350 jet deal with Qatar – sources

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PARIS, Aug 3 (Reuters) – Airbus (AIR.PA) has revoked its entire outstanding order from Qatar Airways for A350 jets, severing all new jetliner business with the Gulf carrier in a dramatic new twist to a dispute clouding World Cup preparations, two industry sources said.

No comment was immediately available from Airbus or Qatar Airways.

The two aviation titans have been waging a rare public battle for months over the scarred condition of more than 20 long-haul jets that the airline says could pose a risk to passengers and which Airbus insists are completely safe.

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Qatar Airways, which was the first airline to introduce the intercontinental jet to the skies in 2015, is suing Airbus for at least $1.4 billion after almost half its A350 fleet was grounded by Qatar’s regulator over premature surface damage.

It has refused to take delivery of more A350s until it receives a deeper explanation of damaged or missing patches of anti-lightning mesh left exposed by peeling paint. read more

Backed by European regulators, Airbus has acknowledged quality problems on the jets but denied any safety risk from gaps in the protective sub-layer, saying there is ample backup.

Until now, the dispute has had a piecemeal effect on the order book for Europe’s biggest twin-engined jet as first Airbus, then Qatar Airways, terminated some individual jets.

Now, however, Airbus has told the airline it is striking the rest of the A350 deal from its books, the sources said, asking not to be identified as discussions remain confidential. read more

At end-June, the European planemaker had outstanding orders from Qatar Airways for 19 of the largest version of the jet, the 350-passenger A350-1000, worth at least $7 billion at catalogue prices or closer to $3 billion after typical industry discounts.

WORLD CUP

The sweeping new A350 cancellation comes six months after Airbus also revoked the whole contract for 50 smaller A321neo jets in retaliation for Qatar refusing to take A350 deliveries.

The spillover to a different model was branded “worrying” by the head of a body representing global airlines, the International Air Transport Association. read more

The latest move is likely to widen a rift between two of the flagship companies of close allies France and Qatar.

Barring an elusive settlement, the dispute is already set for a rare corporate trial in London next June. read more

It comes as the airline industry grapples with an uneven recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and as Qatar Airways is preparing to handle the bulk of some 1.2 million visitors expected for the FIFA World Cup in November and December.

Airbus has argued that the airline is using the dispute to bolster its finances and reduce its fleet of costly long-haul jets as its target long-haul market recovers sluggishly.

Qatar Airways, which in June posted its first annual profit since 2017, maintains it needs more capacity for the World Cup, forcing it to lease planes and bring less efficient A380s out of retirement to plug a gap left by grounded A350s.

The row centres on whether the A350’s problems – including what appears to be damage to parts of the wings, tail and hull according to two jets seen by Reuters – stem from a cosmetic issue or, as the airline claims, a design defect. read more

A Reuters investigation in November revealed that several other airlines had found surface damage since 2016, the second year of A350 operations, prompting Airbus to accelerate studies of an alternative mesh that also saves weight. read more .

So far, however, none of the A350’s other roughly three dozen operators has joined Qatar in voicing concerns over safety as a result of surface flaws, as they continue to fly the jet.

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Reporting by Tim Hepher; editing by Jason Neely, Kirsten Donovan

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Business

Qatar seals Boeing freighter deal with surprise 737 order

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WASHINGTON/SEATTLE, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Qatar Airways handed Boeing Co (BA.N) a record launch order for 34 new 777X freighters and added at least 25 Boeing 737 MAX jets on Monday in a $30 billion-plus package during a Washington diplomatic visit, deepening U.S. economic links to the Gulf.

The deal is a boost for Boeing at a time when the U.S. planemaker is battling industrial and financial constraints, and reflects upheaval in the jet market after Qatar Airways engaged in a contractual and safety dispute with Europe’s Airbus SE (AIR.PA).

Boeing shares rose almost 5% after the freighter order was unexpectedly topped up by an order for the Boeing 737 MAX. The deal was timed to coincide with a visit to Washington by Qatar’s emir in which the United States hailed the Gulf state as a major ally. read more

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That followed days of frantic negotiations after Airbus revoked an order for 50 competing A321neo aircraft as part of a heated dispute with Qatar Airways over flaws in a larger jet.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said negotiators had “lost a lot of sleep” in the intervening two weeks and took a swipe at Airbus.

“We like to build long-term relationships with trusted partners where both parties work together towards a common purpose,” he told a White House signing ceremony attended by leaders from Boeing and engine maker General Electric Co .

Airbus declined comment.

The provisional order for up to 50 of the 737-10, the largest member of the MAX family, makes Monday’s deal a potential 100-plane package including options for later add-ons. Reuters reported the 737 MAX deal earlier on Monday. read more

The cargo part of the deal represents the first order for a freighter version of the world’s largest twin-engine passenger plane, the 777X, whose entry to service has been pushed back by more than three years to late 2023 or beyond.

Boeing is banking on sales of the huge freighter to shore up its leadership of the cargo market and head off a recent challenge from Airbus, with a freighter version of its A350.

“(The 777X) will be an absolute world-beater,” Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said at Monday’s signing ceremony.

ORDER CONVERSIONS

Boeing agreed to convert a third of Qatar’s existing order for 60 777X passenger planes, for which there is currently less demand, to freighters in order to win the order.

Speaking on the sidelines of high-level meetings on energy security amid the Ukraine crisis, Al Baker trumpeted support for the U.S. economy from Qatar Airways, which has faced trade complaints from U.S. carriers over alleged subsidies.

“I am especially pleased that the aircraft order will further emphasise Qatar Airways’ support for the U.S. economy and U.S. jobs,” he said.

For Boeing, the deal marks a respite from a recent safety crisis over the MAX and delays with the 777X passenger jet and 787 Dreamliner, and a chance to win points for its own economic contribution after intense regulatory and political scrutiny.

Boeing said the freighter order would sustain more than 35,000 U.S. jobs with an annual economic impact of $2.6 billion.

Boeing has dominated air freight for years through its 767, 777 and 747 cargo jets, though it will be urgently pressing for more orders for the new freighter flagship.

About half of global cargo by value travels by air, and in turn half of that usually goes in the belly of passenger planes.

During the pandemic, many airlines have been forced to park unused passenger jets, driving up demand for cargo space on dedicated freighters at a time when e-commerce has been a lifeline for many during COVID-19 lockdowns.

But economists warn the trends could start to unravel as the pandemic eases.

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Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington
Additional reporting by Tim Hepher in Paris and Alexander Cornwell in Dubai
Writing by Tim Hepher, Eric M. Johnson
Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Matthew Lewis

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Business

Qatar Airways sues Airbus in A350 jet damage dispute

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PARIS, Dec 20 (Reuters) – Qatar Airways said on Monday it had started proceedings in a UK court against planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) in a bid to resolve a dispute over skin flaws on A350 passenger jets, bringing the two sides closer to a rare legal showdown over aviation safety.

The companies have been locked in a row for months over damage, including blistered paint and corrosion to a sub-layer of lightning protection, which Qatar Airways says has now led to the grounding of 21 A350 jets by its domestic regulator.

Airbus insists the carbon-composite passenger jets are safe to fly despite some “surface degradation,” while Qatar Airways says it is too early to say whether safety has been compromised.

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The dispute came to a head last week when Airbus, in what experts called an unprecedented move, accused the Gulf airline of misrepresenting the problem as a safety issue and threatened to call for an independent legal assessment. read more

On Monday, Qatar Airways hit back, saying it had taken its complaint against Airbus to the High Court in London.

“We have sadly failed in all our attempts to reach a constructive solution with Airbus in relation to the accelerated surface degradation condition adversely impacting the Airbus A350 aircraft,” it said in a statement. “Qatar Airways has therefore been left with no alternative but to seek a rapid resolution of this dispute via the courts.”

In a statement late on Monday, Airbus confirmed it had received a formal legal claim. “Airbus intends to vigorously defend its position,” it said.

A spokesman earlier reiterated it had found the cause of the problem and was working with customers and Europe’s safety regulator, which has said it has not identified a safety issue.

Qatar Airways denies that the surface flaws – which witnesses say have left some of the jets with a pock-marked appearance – are properly understood and said on Monday that it wanted Airbus to mount a “thorough investigation”. read more

JETS GROUNDED

Several industry executives said such a public legal fight between two of aviation’s leading players is unprecedented.

The row widened this month when documents seen by Reuters revealed at least five other airlines in varying climates had complained about paint or other surface problems since 2016. Airbus had until recently maintained the problem was focused on paint on Qatar’s A350s, based in the Gulf.

Reuters also first reported that Airbus was looking at changing the anti-lightning system. read more

The planemaker has said it is proposing interim solutions ranging from repairs to repainting and has accused Qatar Airways of ignoring those proposals without reasonable justification.

Qatar Airways reiterated on Monday it could not be sure whether proposed repairs would work without deeper analysis. Its chief executive has questioned why Airbus is still working on a solution if a reliable fix is already available.

The 21 grounded jets represent 40% of its current fleet of A350s, for which it was the launch customer with the biggest order. Other airlines still operate the jet, saying its airworthiness is not affected by what they term cosmetic issues.

The row meanwhile looks set to cost Airbus a bigQatar order for a new A350 freighter version. It received the first firm order for the model on Monday, confirming a previously tentative order for four planes from France’s CMA CGM.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker told the South China Morning Post last week he had previously looked at placing a large order for the cargo A350. Sources now expect Boeing to win the order to replace Qatar’s 34-35 freighters. read more

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Reporting by Tim Hepher
Editing by Mark Potter and Gerry Doyle

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Business

Qantas to switch domestic fleet to Airbus in blow to Boeing

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A ground worker walking near a Qantas plane is seen from the international terminal at Sydney Airport, as countries react to the new coronavirus Omicron variant amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Sydney, Australia, November 29, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

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  • Will buy 20 A321XLRs and 20 A220-300 jets
  • To replace ageing fleet of 737s and 717s
  • Selects Pratt & Whitney engines

SYDNEY, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) said on Thursday it has chosen Airbus SE (AIR.PA) as the preferred supplier to replace its domestic fleet, switching away from Boeing Co (BA.N) in a major win for the European planemaker.

The airline said it had committed to buying 20 Airbus A321XLR planes and 20 A220-300 jets and had taken purchase options on another 94 aircraft, subject to board approval expected by June 2022.

Deliveries would start in mid-2023 and continue over the next 10 years to replace an ageing fleet of 75 Boeing 737s and 20 717s, Qantas said.

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“This is a clear sign of our confidence in the future and we’ve locked in pricing ahead of what is likely to be a big uptick in demand for next-generation narrowbody aircraft,” Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said in a statement.

It caps a successful week for Airbus after Singapore Airlines on Wednesday agreed to launch the A350 freighter and the planemaker looks likely to seize a narrowbody order from KLM as early as Thursday, in what would be the second defection to Airbus in 24 hours. read more

The loss of the contract, first reported by Bloomberg News, is a blow to Boeing’s 737 MAX, interrupting a strong run of sales since the jet was cleared for flight late last year following a safety ban.

Qantas has operated Boeing jets since 1959 and was once the world’s only airline with an all 747 fleet. After the Airbus narrowbody win, the U.S. planemaker will now supply only its long-haul 787 Dreamliners.

“Although we are disappointed, we respect Qantas’ decision and look forward to continuing our long-standing partnership,” Boeing said in a statement.

Joyce said in October that Qantas expected to order more than 100 narrowbody and regional planes, with a preferred supplier to be chosen in December.

The airline’s low-cost arm Jetstar already has an order for more than 100 Airbus A320neo family planes that will be combined with the new deal to give Qantas more flexibility and the need for fewer firm commitments.

Qantas plans to order Pratt & Whitney (RTX.N) engines for the fresh batch of Airbus A320neo family planes, having bought rival CFM International engines from GE (GE.N) and Safran (SAF.PA) for the Jetstar order. Pratt will also supply the engines for the A220.

Vertical Research Partners analyst Rob Stallard said the Qantas deal was a sign that Airbus was more focused on building up its narrowbody backlog than raising prices even though it already has a higher market share than Boeing.

“From an Airbus perspective, this should also help convince sceptical suppliers of the business case for moving the A320 family (production) to 75 a month over time,” he said.

Qantas is separately looking at A350 widebodies capable of the world’s longest commercial flights from Sydney to London, with a decision expected next year.

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Reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney, Tim Hepher in Paris and Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Peter Cooney and Richard Pullin

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