A 'shadow' over the Airbus A350 ?

[Roger]

Oh dear. I wonder how serious and widespread this problem is in the A350 ? IMO it is a beautiful beast - I really enjoyed it on my recent BKK-Helsinki journey - gives a feeling of space and it has lots of leg room and a brilliant in-flight entertainment system . . . .

"Qatar Airways has grounded Airbus aircraft after discovering fuselages were “degrading at an accelerated rate”. Some 13 Airbus A350s, which have a carbon composite body that makes them lighter and more fuel-efficient, have been taken out of the service, the state-owned airline said.

The grounding marks an escalation of a row between the Middle East carrier and the European plane manufacturer. In June, Qatar raised concerns about the problem and refused to take delivery of another 23 A350s from Airbus until it had been fixed.

Qatar Airways, which has a fleet of 53 A350s, said: “Following the explicit written instruction of its regulator, 13 aircraft have now been grounded, effectively removing them from service until such time as the root cause can be established and a satisfactory solution made available to permanently correct the underlying condition.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/08/05/qatar-airways-grounds-airbus-planes-degrading-fuselages/

[Roger]

KC - any ideas about this ?