Flight International 2023 03.pdf

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FlightGlobal.com
March 2023
The giant
jet that shrank
the world
p48
Out on
a high
Boeing ends jumbo era
with final delivery
p9
That’s spat
How Airbus,
Qatar resolved
A350 feud
p10
Lead Greenville-built F-16
soars for Lockheed
p19
New training scheme gets
students airline-ready
p67
£5.99
Pop gun
F-22 Raptor
claims balloon
as first ‘kill’
p12
Comment
Outstared?
Lujain Jo/AP/Shutterstock
Glossed over
Both sides in the row between Airbus and Qatar Airways
over A350 skin-paint issues will be glad to put the falling
out behind them, but there is the inescapable sense that
the airframer has emerged the stronger of the two
Q
uiet settlement of the Air-
bus-Qatar Airways A350
dispute, enabling both
sides to walk away with-
out admitting any embarrassing
liability, had appeared the most
likely outcome as the prospect of a
billion-dollar courtroom showdown
drew closer.
But if the agreement was intend-
ed to convey shared and equal
victory, there is a sense that Air-
bus has nevertheless emerged the
more equal of the two.
Qatar Airways had essentially
skin-painted itself into a corner by
unilaterally grounding over 20 of
its A350s, based on concerns that
fuselage-surface degradation was
an airworthiness issue – despite
that opinion not being shared by
civil aviation regulators anywhere
outside of the emirate.
While Airbus believed Qatari
authorities were misrepresenting
the issue, for reasons unrelat-
ed to safety, the whole dispute
might have remained an irritat-
ing localised matter, given the
absence of domino-effect A350
groundings elsewhere.
Picking a highly-public fight
with one of the industry’s most
influential – and demanding – cus-
tomers could have been perceived
as reckless. But Airbus’s deci-
sion to scrub Qatar’s outstanding
orders for over 70 A350s and
A321neos showed that it was not
only certain of its case, but pre-
pared to sacrifice its relationship
with the carrier in order to assert
its position and dare the airline
to come up with more than head-
line-grabbing indignation.
If it was ever considered a gam-
ble, it seems to have paid off.
Months of pre-trial jousting – a
complex tangle of technical detail,
contractual interpretation, social
media analysis, and sniping over
alleged regulatory cosiness – sud-
denly gave way to a resolution, one
which almost appears to pretend
the whole sorry mess never hap-
pened. And one which, in spite of
being “amicable” and “mutually
agreeable”, leaves an undeniable
impression that Airbus outstared
its opponent.
That, of course, is not the official
take. And since the details are con-
fidential, any point-scoring analysis
is naturally limited.
But the fact is that the A350’s
reputation remains intact. The
aircraft has not been redesigned to
remedy any perceived flaws. Qa-
tar’s fleet will be repaired and re-
turned to service, as the airframer
had intended all along. And A350
deliveries to the airline will resume.
The degree to which either side
has agreed to shoulder expenses is
unclear – and will probably remain
so – but there is no signal to in-
vestors of any adverse impact to
Airbus’s finances, certainly not of
the scale of Qatar’s $200,000-per-
day compensation claim for each
grounded aircraft.
Qatar’s A321neos, cancelled by
Airbus, will similarly be reinstated.
Despite efforts to protect the slots,
Qatar will have to put up with re-
ceiving them three years late. If
their price was renegotiated, chalk
it up to the cost of doing business.
Airbus would probably argue that
an order is still an order.
Litigation is expensive, and there
is a school of thought which sug-
gests that the corporate lawyers
are the only ones who ultimately
benefit. But if Airbus finds it has
redressed a balance, and feels a
tad more respected, it will think the
hassle was worth it.
◗
See p10
March 2023
Flight International
3
In focus
Stick or twist for Boeing?
6
A jumbo farewell
9
Airbus and Qatar avert court
trial after settling dispute
10
F-22 bursts Beijing’s bubble
12
US supply chain frailty
14
Revitalised F-16 takes flight
19
Severe icing preceded Dash 8’s
dual-engine flame-out
20
Building truss with NASA
22
Engine assembly error grounds
general aviation types
27
SpaceJet brought down
to Earth
28
From Flyr to eternity
30
Collins hopes to harness
HECATE’s ‘magic’
36
Helium hero
40
54
FlightGlobal.com
March 2023
The giant
jet that shrank
the world
p48
Out on
a high
Boeing ends jumbo era
with final delivery
p9
Lead Greenville-built F-16
soars for Lockheed
p19
New training scheme gets
students airline-ready
p67
That’s spat
How Airbus,
Qatar resolved
A350 feud
p10
Pop gun
F-22 Raptor
claims balloon
as first ‘kill’
p12
36
£5.99
Daniel Gorun
Regulars
Comment
3
Best of the rest
44
Straight & Level
76
Letters
79
Jobs
81
Women in aviation
82
4
Flight International
March 2023
Contents
In depth
Goodbye jumbo
48
Boeing’s iconic Queen of the
Skies has finally become a
‘legacy’ product, with its last
handover ending a delivery
run which had started for Juan
Trippe’s Pan American in 1969
Dressed to impress
Multiple airline
customers had signed up before
the 747 rolled out in 1968
Lease of life
60
A capacity shortage means
the A380 is now flying far more
than expected
Coasting to success
64
FTA is boosting its student
throughput as demand soars
Different approach
67
Why the Airline Pilot Club
launched new training initiative
Winning formula
70
It has won a huge US Army
deal, but Bell is also innovating
in commercial helicopters
82
67
70
March 2023
Flight International
5

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