Qatar Airways and Airbus clashed in court on Thursday over the fate of billions of dollars of jet orders as their 25-year partnership unravelled in scenes resembling a corporate divorce trial.
The two sides have been locked for months in a dispute over damaged lightning protection within the painted skin of the A350 that Qatar says has forced it to ground jets and stop taking deliveries.
Their dispute widened to the industry’s best-selling model in January when Airbus revoked an order from Qatar for the smaller A321neo, declaring “enough is enough” after the public clash over A350 safety.
