A350 grounding - what is the longer term solution beyond re-utilising A330s?
Feb 1, 2023, 10:12 am
#106
Join Date: May 2020
Location: LHR
Programs: OWE, *G
Posts: 219
With this, it finally looks as if QSuite availability will improve again sometime…
"Qatar Airways and Airbus are pleased to have reached an amicable and mutually agreeable settlement in relation to their legal dispute over A350 surface degradation and the grounding of A350 aircraft. A repair project is now underway and both parties look forward to getting these aircraft safely back in the air.”
"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."
"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."
Feb 1, 2023, 12:18 pm
#108
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,630
Does this mean that all the code share agreements will stop, or are QR tied into these for the longer run?
I guess it will take a while for the remedial works to be completed (tin of Airbus brilliant white gloss, and several large brushes?)
I guess it will take a while for the remedial works to be completed (tin of Airbus brilliant white gloss, and several large brushes?)
Feb 1, 2023, 12:48 pm
#109
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2022
Programs: QRPC, BAEC
Posts: 682
QR has resumed flights to China (CAN restarted last month) and will be ramping up soon with daily 77Ws to Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou.
Feb 1, 2023, 1:17 pm
#110
Join Date: Jul 2022
Programs: QR PC, BA EC, KrisFlyer
Posts: 200
It will take a while to fix all the grounded A350s and replace old products (still a number of non-Qsuite A350 and 777 yet to be replaced) while still trying to expand the network at the same time - so I think the codeshare agreements will probably stay for another year or two at least, or even longer.
Feb 1, 2023, 1:46 pm
#111
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 2,481
Did the QSuite retrofits stop completely as more frames got parked because of this? Don't suppose they took the opportunity to renovate any Super Diamon A359s, for fear that they'd not get it sorted.
Feb 1, 2023, 2:42 pm
#112
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Europe
Posts: 1,503
It will take a while to fix all the grounded A350s and replace old products (still a number of non-Qsuite A350 and 777 yet to be replaced) while still trying to expand the network at the same time - so I think the codeshare agreements will probably stay for another year or two at least, or even longer.
Feb 1, 2023, 3:24 pm
#113
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: MEL
Programs: DL, QF, QR Gold, MR Lifetime Gold
Posts: 7,003
Getting some A350s back into service is very exciting! MEL used to get a daily A380, then switched to daily A350 and it's now 2 777s. I am hoping that these 2 switch to A350s.
It will be interesting to see how this affects the rest of the fleet. Nobody here likes the A330s but they aren't that old (16.4 years on average) so I don't know if QR will be in a rush to get rid of them. Maybe with more 787s being delivered, there is hope. They've wanted to park the A380s; not sure if that idea will be resurrected.
It will be interesting to see how this affects the rest of the fleet. Nobody here likes the A330s but they aren't that old (16.4 years on average) so I don't know if QR will be in a rush to get rid of them. Maybe with more 787s being delivered, there is hope. They've wanted to park the A380s; not sure if that idea will be resurrected.
Feb 1, 2023, 6:47 pm
#114
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Hong Kong, France
Programs: FB , BA Gold
Posts: 15,564
First, all the detailed legal paperwork has to be filed and some details could hit a snag.Given the history with QR, the repair process won't start until the legal situation is crystal clear.
Then the birds have to be recommissioned after long storage and probably flown to some Airbus base, where the "improvements" will be implemented. QR will probably wait for the result on a couple of birds to give the green light on the others.Then Airbus has to schedule those on top of the existing work. It could take more than a year to be completed.
I hope that I am wrong.
Feb 1, 2023, 9:21 pm
#115
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: EK Gold, A3 *G, AB Gold, Jetblue Mosaic
Posts: 1,386
It will take a while to fix all the grounded A350s and replace old products (still a number of non-Qsuite A350 and 777 yet to be replaced) while still trying to expand the network at the same time - so I think the codeshare agreements will probably stay for another year or two at least, or even longer.
Feb 1, 2023, 10:59 pm
#117
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 398
Feb 1, 2023, 11:17 pm
#118
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: DUB / DOH
Posts: 693
Feb 1, 2023, 11:22 pm
#119
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: South Africa
Programs: QR PC Platinum
Posts: 412
I certainly hope they haven't or will ever change the "old" A350 seats.I love the Super Diamond seat with the open cabin on the A359!