Qatar Airways CEO opens door to settling Airbus row out of court

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker indicated that the Gulf carrier might be prepared to end its legal clash with planemaker Airbus SE if a settlement answering its contract concerns can be reached.

“We are always open to constructively resolve issues but we cannot accept somebody not following a contract that they’ve signed with us,” Al Baker said Monday during the International Air Transport Association’s annual gathering.

With his company hosting the IATA event in Doha, Al Baker has found himself thrown together with Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury at a low point in his decades-long relationship with the European manufacturer. Qatar Airways is suing over surface degradation issues afflicting its A350 wide-body jets, with Airbus having hit back by scrapping the carrier’s order for A320neo narrowbodies.

Faury struck a conciliatory tone on the dispute Sunday, saying in an interview that Airbus would like to resolve the falling out and doesn’t want to lose Qatar Airways as a customer. Al Baker and Faury later sat together at a dinner at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.

Speaking on Bloomberg Television Monday, Faury added that the matter is “complex” and “not easy” to manage but one that Airbus is working hard to try to resolve.

“I want to remain optimistic and think we’ll find a way forward,” he said. “The relationship is good between the persons, so the organizations need to find a solution.”

Al Baker declined to comment on his company’s willingness to move to full trial, saying only that litigation is underway and that a date has been set. The trial is due to begin in London next summer.