Airbus canceled all of Qatar's A350 airliner orders in a rare move as the battle over paint issues continues

• European planemaker Airbus has canceled the rest of Qatar's orders for A350 widebody aircraft.
• The move comes as the two continue to battle over surface paint issues on the carrier's A350 aircraft.

Qatar Airways just received a major blow from Airbus as the two continue to quarrel over paint issues on the carrier's A350.

European planemaker Airbus confirmed to Insider on Friday that it has canceled all of Qatar's orders for A350 aircraft. The outstanding orders included 19 widebody jets, with Airbus saying it believed Qatar no longer wanted to honor the contract after refusing to take delivery of two A350s in February.

While Airbus says Qatar was unwilling to receive the widebodies, the carrier claims Airbus outright canceled the order. However, Qatar had previously said it would refuse any future deliveries until Airbus provided a full root-cause analysis for the problems, which the planemaker told Insider it had.

Qatar said it did not have a statement available at this time when contacted by Insider.

Airbus also canceled Qatar's order for 50 A321neos in January, which CEO Akbar Al Baker called "a matter of considerable regret and frustration." In July, Qatar firmed up an order for 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10 jets to help fill its narrowbody needs.

Airbus' decision to nix Qatar's remaining A350 orders comes as the two companies battle over the condition of the jet's paint — an issue that Al Baker says "destroyed" the carrier's relationship with Airbus.

In August 2021, Qatar grounded its A350 jets due to concerns over surface paint issues, which it and the nation's aviation regulator said posed a threat to the safety and airworthiness of the aircraft. As of June 2022, the carrier has grounded 23 A350s.

A spokesperson told Insider in January that "the defects are not superficial, and one of the defects causes the aircraft's lightning protection system to be exposed and damaged."

Qatar also pointed to potential moisture and ultraviolet exposure to the composite structure and cracking in the composite that could damage a "high percentage of rivets on the aircraft fuselage."

Several other carriers, like Etihad Airways and Delta Air Lines, have also noted degrading paint on their A350s, per Reuters, but none have made the same claims as Qatar nor say the damage is a safety threat.

Since Qatar raised concerns over the A350, Airbus and the carrier have been at a stalemate on how to resolve the issue. Airbus has repeatedly pushed back on Qatar, saying the damaged paint is simply "cosmetic."

"The attempt by this customer to misrepresent this specific topic as an airworthiness issue represents a threat to the international protocols on safety matters," the planemaker said in a December statement.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has backed Airbus by saying the paint does not impact airworthiness, per Bloomberg.

While Airbus has "provided necessary guidance to its customers and operators for continuous operations," Qatar is still unhappy with the planemakers' response. As a result, Qatar sued Airbus in a London High Court and is seeking $618 million in damages.

The trial will occur in the UK next summer, but, in the meantime, the court told Airbus it could sell its undelivered A350s to other carriers, like Air India, Reuters reported.

"On a personal level I am friends with everyone but when it comes to an issue with my company, then it's a different story," Al Baker told a news conference in June according to Reuters. "If things were settled, we would not be still waiting for a trial to happen next year."

Airbus told Insider that the company is still open to a settlement with Qatar, with CEO Guillaume Faury telling Reuters in June that there was "progress in the sense that we are communicating."