Qatar Airways has issued legal proceedings against Airbus in the UK High Court in relation to the surface degradation issue affecting its A350 aircraft. The Doha-based carrier says it has "sadly failed in all our attempts to reach a constructive solution" to the problem in its discussions with the manufacturer. As a result the carrier "has therefore been left with no alternative but to seek a rapid resolution of this dispute via the courts", it states. Qatar Airways has grounded 21 A350 aircraft because of the issue, out of a total fleet of 53 of the type. In a sign that the problem is impacting a steadily increasing number of the carrier's aircraft, Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker said on 30 November that the issue was affecting 20 aircraft. At the start of the month, the airline said just 19 of the type were impacted. Qatar Airways says the legal action has "been commenced to ensure that Airbus will now address our legitimate concerns without further delay. We strongly believe that Airbus must undertake a thorough investigation of this condition to conclusively establish its full root cause." The carrier and Airbus have been in a long-running dispute over the issue, with the airframer saying earlier this month that it was seeking an independent legal review into the situation to resolve the dispute. The manufacturer believes the surface-paint-related issue has been thoroughly assessed both internally and by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as having no airworthiness impact on the A350 fleet, an assessment that has previously been questioned by Al Baker. "The real cause has not been established," commented the chief executive at the UK Aviation Club in London on 30 November. "In the beginning, they mentioned that it was only cosmetic… Now they have at last accepted that there are other airlines, several of them, that have the same condition... and yesterday [they] acknowledged that they are working to find a solution, which means they don’t have a solution, and they don't have a solution because they don’t know why it is happening." A spokesperson for Airbus says: "Airbus has already stated it is prepared to use legal action in order to solve this dispute, in the face of the ongoing mischaracterisation of non-structural surface degradation issues on some A350s - the root cause of which has been identified, with solutions in place to allow for continued operations of the worldwide A350 fleet. "Airbus will continue to take all necessary measures to defend its position and reputation and has no further comment on ongoing litigation," they add.

Air France-KLM has signed a firm order for 100 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, with an option to purchase 60 additional aircraft. The order for A320neo and Airbus A321neo aircraft are intended for KLM's and Transavia's fleets. Deliveries are expected to begin in the second half of 2023. "These aircraft will operate medium-haul routes in Europe, notably from Amsterdam Schiphol, KLM's global hub and Transavia Netherlands' main base, and from Paris Orly, Transavia France's main base," Air France-KLM states. The European government group also signed a letter of intent to purchase four Airbus A350F Full Freighter aircraft, aimed to increase Air France's cargo capacity. The deal includes full substitution rights for Airbus A350 passenger aircraft. Air France has 12 A350-900’s in service and 26 on order.

British Airways and Qatar Airways are expanding their joint business, providing enhanced access to popular destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Australasia. The news follows BA’s resumption of its daily service to Doha from London Gatwick earlier in December, operated with a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. The two airlines will jointly operate up to six daily flights between London and Doha this winter - five from London Heathrow and one from London Gatwick, BA’s chief executive Sean Doyle says. “The proposed expansion of the joint business will be great news for customers, offering them access to more destinations across the world with seamless connections. We know customers are always looking for more options to connect onto popular holiday hotspots such as the Maldives and Seychelles, and this expansion will allow them to do just that,” Doyle adds. The airlines expect to receive regulatory approvals of their expanded joint business proposition in the first half of 2022.