• 

  Airbus

  Stock Code:

  AIR

  Date Founded:

  1970-12-18

  CEO:

  Guillaume Faury

  Headquarters Location:

  Toulouse, France

  Key Product Lines:

  Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

  Business Type:

  Planemaker

By now, it’s well-known that Qatar Airways and Airbus are in a deep and bitter dispute that stemmed from surface degradation experienced on A350s operated by the carrier. With Qatar Airways unlikely to take delivery of another aircraft from Airbus for the foreseeable future, what exactly might happen to the jets built-but-not-delivered to the Middle Eastern Carrier? Today let’s take a look at some possibilities.

Three jets built, painted, but not delivered

At this point, Airbus has three completed A350-1000s built for Qatar Airways. Built over the course of late 2021 and early 2022, the three jets are fully operational and have each had multiple test flights already.

During this extended limbo period of negotiations and legal challenges, the aircraft have been stored, receiving periodic engine runs and taxi checks. And while the jets have had Qatari aircraft registration codes assigned to them, data from Planespotters.net suggests that the aircraft won’t have these registrations for long and that they indeed won’t be taken up by Qatar Airways. So, if this is truly the case, which operators out there might be in a position to take the aircraft?

Air India

Back in late March, multiple sources indicated that Air India was in talks with Airbus as it looks to modernize its fleet. Reported by News18, Airbus India President Remi Maillard was noted to have stated: “We are in talks with all airlines."

However, when it comes to Air India, Maillard said that the company already has an existing relationship with Tata Group’s other airlines- Vistara, and AirAsia India. Thus, an existing relationship could with Air India's new parent company could prove to be a significant 'foot in the door' for the airline to adopt a new type.

With the airline having an opportunity to get up close and personal with the A350-1000 when it toured India in late March, the A350s previously destined for Qatar Airways could be a good fit for Air India. The jets would likely have a discount attached to them and Airbus would probably be thrilled and highly motivated to add another legacy airline to its list of A350 operators - especially a carrier that has, up to this point, been mostly operating Boeing widebodies.

Lufthansa

As we noted in October 2021, Lufthansa has accelerated its Airbus A350-900 roll-out, taking four more jets in early 2022. These jets will come from lessors - namely Avolon, SMBC Aviation Capital, and Goshawk. So far, three of the four jets have been delivered to the German carrier. Without these leased aircraft, the next Airbus A350 would have been delivered in July 2023.

According to March reporting by FlightGlobal, the German carrier has been reportedly on the hunt for more A350s. This previously saw Lufthansa named as a possible recipient of A350s that would have previously gone to Aeroflot. But perhaps Lufthansa might consider adding the A350-1000 to its fleet? Perhaps it's a stretch but there are some factors that could make this more of a possibility.

As air travel continues to recover post-Covid, Lufthansa’s first brand new 787 Dreamliner looks like it will be quite delayed amid ongoing scrutiny of Boeing by the FAA. Depending on how long this drags on, this could be one factor that might push Lufthansa to take efficient and readily-available widebodies from Airbus. Making the situation worse is Boeing extended delay of its 777-9, which is now set to have its first delivery take place in 2025.

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While there are probably factors we’re overlooking, three brand new A350-1000s would seem to be a great opportunity for an airline that’s already a major operator of the A350-900.

Orphaned A350s

Ultimately, due to its dispute with Qatar Airways and sanctions on Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine, Airbus has a few A350s that are orphans - new jets looking for new homes. For any airline with the resources and the appropriate level of current and projected future demand, it would seem that Airbus’ orphaned widebodies are a fantastic opportunity should any legal hurdles come down.

What do you think will happen to these Airbus A350-1000s? Are there any other airlines that you could see wanting them? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Sources: Planespotters.net, News18, FlightGlobal