Qatar Airways and Airbus have reached an “amicable and mutually agreeable settlement” in relation to their legal dispute over A350 surface degradation and the grounding of A350 aircraft.

The airline issued legal proceedings against Airbus in December 2021 over what it termed “the degradation of surface and paint on some of its A350XWB aircraft that has adversely impacted operations”. Qatar Airways asked Airbus to undertake a thorough investigation of the condition to conclusively establish its full root cause, as 21 aircraft had been grounded as a result of the condition.

A repair project is now underway and both parties said they looked forward to “getting the aircraft safely back in the air”.

A statement from the companies read: “The details of the settlement are confidential and the parties will now proceed to discontinue their legal claims. The settlement agreement is not an admission of liability for either party.

“This agreement will enable Qatar Airways and Airbus to move forward and work together as partners.”