In August 2021, we reported that Qatar Airways had grounded 13 of its Airbus A350 aircraft on the advice of regulators. By January 2023, about 30 aircraft had been parked.

Qatar Airways had maintained that its national civil aviation authority had forced its hand on the A350 issue, revoking Airworthiness Review Certificates on the aircraft and effectively grounding them from operations. But since the airline and Airbus settled their long-running dispute, many of these jets have been coming back online. Indeed, close to half of all jets grounded have now returned to service.

January 2021 to January 2023

The dispute over Airbus A350 surface degradation between Qatar Airways and Airbus was ongoing for about two years. It all started with a single A350-900 (registered A7-ALL) being sent to Shannon, Ireland, to be repainted. Instead of a quick return to service, the jet ended up heading to Airbus in Toulouse with reports of issues found under the paintwork. At the time, Airbus said they were "irregularities on the surface coating. The issue is superficial/cosmetic and only visible when the top coat of paint is stripped."

About two years later, after various accusations from both sides, halted deliveries, canceled orders, and a number of court hearings, a settlement was reached between the two parties. Orders have been reinstated and, as of May 12th, deliveries of new aircraft are taking place again.

Data from Planepsotters.net shows that the number of Qatar Airways Airbus A350s listed as 'parked' has been slowly decreasing over the past few months. Examining FlightRadar24.com flight histories, it would appear that many jets spent between one and two years on the ground before going back into regular passenger services. However, other aircraft - such as the jet that started this dispute, remain inactive.

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Reactivated aircraft

So which aircraft have been reactivated, and how long did they spend on the ground? Here's what we know as per data from Planespotters.net.

Combing through the data, it looks like 14 jets have been reactivated after spending between 11 and 24 months on the ground. The majority of these aircraft simply operated one test flight in and out of Doha before deployment on passenger services. The two aircraft at the bottom of the list appear to be in the process of reactivation as they have been flown to facilities in Europe. As the dispute was over surface degradation, it would be logical that repainting is taking place in Shannon and Toulouse.

14 aircraft are still parked

With so many jets grounded, it's unsurprising that it will take some time to get all of Qatar Airways' parked Airbus A350s back to good working order. Indeed, after examining the extent of surface degradation on various A350s, it's clear that some airframes will require more work than others. At this time, it appears that 14 aircraft remain parked for an extended period of time.

As many aircraft were grounded in the summer of 2021, these jets are nearing two full years of inactivity. Many of these are older airframes. As noted previously, the aircraft that kicked off this ordeal, A7-ALL, has been on the ground for 27 months, since January 2021.

Deliveries have resumed

While the airline works to reactivate its grounded A350s, there should also be a slow trickle of new airframes arriving in Doha as well. On May 12th, Qatar Airways took delivery of its first new Airbus aircraft in approximately two and a half years. This was an A350-1000 registered A7-ANT. After being delivered from Toulouse and arriving in Doha on May 13th, it officially entered service on May 16th with a short flight to Dubai. It has since flown an additional service to Kuwait.

As per Airbus orders and deliveries data accurate as of April 2023, Qatar Airways has ordered 42 A350-1000s. Of these, 20 have been delivered, meaning that 22 jets are outstanding. 34 of 34 A350-900s have been delivered to the airline.

What do you think of Qatar Airways' current situation? Are you surprised by the amount of time some jets have been grounded, and when do you think the entire fleet will be operational again? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

Sources: Planespotters.net, FlightRadar24.com, ch-aviation.com

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  Qatar Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  QR/QTR

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Doha Hamad International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1993

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Akbar Al Baker

  Country:

  Qatar