Qatar Airways Says A350 Flaws Cause Risk of Fuel Tank Fire
- Airline says design and manufacture of A350 jet ‘is defective’
- A321 cancelation means new route plans paused, Qatar says
Aircrew stand at the top of steps at the entrance to a Qatar Airways Airbus A350 passenger aircraft at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, U.K., in 2018.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Qatar Airways says surface flaws on Airbus SE’s A350 jets cause a risk of the fuel tanks igniting, bolstering its contention that safety is at stake in its acrimonious legal dispute with the planemaker.
In documents made public Tuesday, Qatar Airways said paint layers on large parts of affected A350s have been so badly damaged that wind and pollutants, such as salt or hydraulic fluids, can penetrate through the skin and damage the lightning protection of the aircraft. That raises particular concern on the wings, where fuel tanks are located.