Costly Airbus paint flaw goes wider than the Gulf By Reuters

By Tim Hepher and Alexander Cornwell

DUBAI (Reuters) – A dispute between Airbus and Qatar Airways over paint and surface flaws on A350 jets stretches beyond the Gulf, with at least five other airlines raising concerns since the high-tech model entered service, according to documents seen by Reuters and several people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Qatar’s national carrier has grounded 20 of its 53 A350s, saying it is acting on orders from its local regulator, until reasons for what witnesses describe as the blistered and pock-marked appearance of some of its A350s can be confirmed.

Airbus says there is no risk to the A350’s safety – a point echoed by the other airlines, which have not grounded any jets and describe the issue as “cosmetic.”

The planemaker said in response to queries from Reuters there had been some problems with “early surface wear” that in some cases had made visible a sub-layer of mesh designed to absorb lightning, which it is working to fix.

Three people with direct knowledge of the situation said that at Qatar Airways and at least one other airline the mesh had in some instances itself developed gaps, leaving the carbon-fibre fuselage exposed to possible weather or other damage.

The A350, in service since 2015, is designed with ample protection to resist storms and is deployed around the world with high reliability, Airbus said in an emailed statement.

Asked about gaps in the mesh, it said some airlines were subject to higher swings in temperatures than others, apparently referring, for example, to desert conditions in Qatar.

Qatar Airways has called for a definitive cause to be identified and a permanent fix that satisfies its regulator. The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority declined to comment.

Two people familiar with the grounding decision said it was based on ongoing uncertainty over the cause and impact of surface degradation and gaps in lightning protection.

Airbus says it has found a root cause, but sources with two affected airlines said they had not been notified of one.

The row has set the clock ticking on a compensation battle that sources said could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars after Qatar Airways halted deliveries of 23 more A350s on order.

The clash between two of aviation’s most powerful players became public in May, six months after Qatar Airways sent an A350 to be stripped and repainted in special livery for the FIFA World Cup to be held in the Gulf state next year.

But what for months had been widely presented as an isolated issue related to Qatar’s severe heat is more widespread, according to a private maintenance message board used by Airbus and A350 operators and reviewed by Reuters.

Messages show Finnair, which operates in the colder north,…