- Why Qatar Airways grounded 13 of their 53 Airbus A350s
- How this will affect the 2022 FIFA World Cup
- What Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive thinks about the issue
On Thursday, 8/5/2021, Qatar Airways announced that it has grounded 13 Airbus A350s because fuselages are “degrading at an accelerated rate” in the long-range aircraft. As one of the worlds top operators of the Airbus aircrafts, Qatar Airways decision to ground the aircraft raises questions about the aircrafts carbon composite fuselage which is designed the make the A350 aircraft light and chapter to operate. With a total fleet of 53 Airbus A350s, grounding about a quarter of their fleet is a big deal if the problem is not fixed.
The A350 is one of the main aircrafts that will make the trip to the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in the Qatar, and if the Airbus aircrafts keep getting grounded, not as many people will be able to travel across the world to support their country in the most watched tournament in all of sports entertainment. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “With this latest development, we sincerely expect that Airbus treats this matter with the proper attention that it requires. Qatar Airways will not accept anything other than aircraft that continue to offer its customers the highest possible standard of safety and the best travel experience that they deserve.” Qatar Airways is also cooperating with all the leasing companies affected by this A350 grounding; these leasing companies have also started to inspect their impacted aircraft.
