Airbus and Qatar Airways have agreed to restart aircraft deliveries and reinstate A350 and A321neo orders that were cancelled by the airframer over the two companies’ dispute about surface degradation on the long-haul jet. The European airframer says it will resume A350-1000 deliveries to Qatar Airways this year and “reintegrate” orders for another 23 of the type and 50 A321neos in its backlog as part of a settlement of the dispute disclosed on 1 February. Fleets data shows Airbus built three A350-1000s in 2021 and another one last year for Qatar Airways that were not delivered to the carrier following its decision in 2021 not to take further aircraft until the surface issue was resolved. Airbus, for its part, cancelled its entire order backlog for Qatar Airways – first the A321neo deal in January 2022 and then gradually the airline’s remaining A350 orders by September. Deliveries of the A321neos are now scheduled to start in 2026, Airbus says. Under a deal disclosed in 2019 with CFM International to power the A321neos with Leap-1As, delivery of the narrowbodies was scheduled to begin in 2020. The new delivery schedule suggests Airbus may have offered production slots that were previously allocated to Qatar Airways. In January, Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer said that delivery slots for new A320-family orders would not be available before 2029. Earlier delivery slots are available, however, for aircraft previously ordered by leasing companies which might still be available for airlines to lease. Meanwhile, Airbus says, talks are underway with Qatar Airways, the European Union Safety Agency (EASA) and Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) to return 30 grounded A350s in the airline’s fleet to service “in agreement with the authorities”. The QCAA had grounded A350s over concerns about the aircraft’s airworthiness, while EASA maintained the surface degradation did not affect safety. No other regulator highlighted concern about the issue. Airbus says it developed repair solutions for the surface degradation issues which have been accepted by Qatar Airways. “Teams of both parties will work together to make sure this is done in the most efficient and effective way,” the airframer adds, “under the due oversight of the [regulatory] authorities in accordance with their mandated processes”. Data shows Qatar Airways has withdrawn 23 A350-900s and seven -1000s from service, aged between four and eight years.

British Airways will begin a new service from the UK to mainland China after a hiatus of two years. From London Heathrow, the carrier will begin daily flights to Shanghai Pudong international on 23 April, the IAG-owned carrier says. Additionally, flights to Beijing Daxing airport from Heathrow will commence on 3 June to be operated four times per week, it adds. Virgin Atlantic announced today that it would resume its service from London Heathrow to Shanghai on 1 May. Air China and China Eastern also connect London with Shanghai.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced an interim price cap of £31.57 ($38.88) per passenger at London Heathrow airport, in line with its final proposals released in June 2022. The interim cap replaces a current cap of £30.19 that was put in place in 2022 and expired on 1 January. The CAA says the interim cap will safeguard the right of passengers ahead of the final decision and licence modifications for a five-year price control being published in March. "We are implementing these licence modifications to protect consumers and to give certainty to the airport and airlines on the level of the price cap for 2023," states Paul Smith, consumer and markets director at the regulator. In June 2022, the CAA stated that the average maximum price per passenger for airlines at Heathrow would fall to £26.31 by 2026. The CAA has also confirmed its decision to make a minor changes to Heathrow's licence, which will remove some obligations under the service quality framework that are deemed no longer necessary. These licence modifications will take effect in six weeks' time.