«The trial between Airbus and Qatar Airways will last three months and will begin next summer.» This was the decision taken by the High Court in London. In his arguments, Judge David Waksman stated that the trial and its outcome are of great «public concern» since the airline questioned the safety of the Airbus A350, which carries thousands of passengers around the world every day.
«I have no doubt that this case should be tried as soon as possible,» the judge said, granting Qatar’s request for a speedy trial. However, he refused to grant injunctive relief to stop Airbus from manufacturing and attempting to deliver more units of the type to the airline. Nor did he order the manufacturer to refrain from reselling the planes once the airline rejected them.
According to Reuters, this ruling frees Airbus to sell the A350s that Qatar has been rejecting. Among those interested in the units are airlines such as Air India and ITA Airways.
Both sides are happy, at least for now
Airbus welcomed the blocking of the injunctions sought by the airline and renewed its interest in an out-of-court settlement to put the lawsuit behind: a statement from the manufacturer noted that «the continuation of this litigation is in no one’s best interest.»
This was echoed by Waksman, who urged the parties to use the period until June 2023 -when the trial will begin- as a cooling-off period. «Right now, this case seems impossible to settle; however, that could change in the future,» the judge noted.
He also expressed outrage at «the legal circus» surrounding the collapse of what was once one of the industry’s strongest relationships. «In my view, the cost to both sides is excessive, and too much time is being spent on this dispute,» Waksman added.
On the other hand, Qatar said it was «extremely pleased» with the court’s decision. «We always wanted an abbreviated trial that would allow us to quickly learn the cause and effects of the surface degradation affecting our aircraft,» the airline said in a statement released after the judge issued his verdict. «This decision grants it to us, so naturally we are very pleased with it».
