Airbus has acknowledged receipt of Qatar Airways' claims before a UK court regarding premature surface deterioration on some A350s. But the European airframer denies the claims "in total" and argues "the issues do not give any valid basis" for Qatar Airways to seek compensation and to refuse delivery of on-order aircraft. Citing legal documents filed before the High Court's technology and construction division in London, Reuters reported on 6 January that Qatar Airways was seeking $618 million in contractual compensation from Airbus over the grounding of A350s, plus $4 million for each day the aircraft remained out of service. In December, Qatar Airways said it had grounded 21 aircraft. Data shows the carrier's fleet includes 34 A350-900s and 19 -1000s. It has a further 23 A350-1000s on order. Qatar Airways and Airbus have been embroiled in a bitter argument about the surface deterioration issue, which, the carrier says, prompted Qatar's regulator to ground aircraft. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has said it became aware of the issue in late 2020 and does not view the degradation as an airworthiness issue. It was reported in October that Finnair and Lufthansa were among A350 operators that had additionally been affected by premature surface deterioration. Finnair said at the time it was working with Airbus to address the issue, while Lufthansa declined to comment. Airbus says it "rejects Qatar Airways' ongoing and public mischaracterisation of the nature of these issues and of their impact on the A350 aircraft's continuous airworthiness". It adds: "We stand ready to defend our position and uphold our aircraft's reputation, the satisfaction of our customers, and international protocols on safety matters." The airframer says it had been "actively involved in discussions" with Qatar Airways for several months to resolve the dispute. The carrier initiated legal action in December. Airbus insists: "We have identified the root cause of the issues and proper means of repair. We have worked with EASA since the beginning and we continue to do so. The airworthiness of the aircraft is not affected and the issues do not give any valid basis for the grounding of aircraft or the payment of financial compensation nor justify Qatar Airways' refusal to take delivery of further A350 aircraft." Qatar Airways has declined to provide comment on the case.

Airbus delivered 611 commercial aircraft in 2021 – 45 more than it had handed to customers in the previous year. The European airframer increased output of its A320 and A220 families, while production of its A330 and A350 long-haul lines slightly declined. Deliveries included the last production A380 to Emirates in December.
Airbus says it gross order intake doubled to 771 new sales versus 2020. Net order intake stood at 507 sales. The A320neo family received 661 gross new orders, while 64 gross commitments were received for the A220. Widebody gross orders stood at 30 A330s and 16 A350s. Orders for the latter type included 11 commitments for the newly launched A350 Freighter. Chief executive Guillaume states that the order and delivery results represent "focus and resilience" of the airframer's employees, customers, suppliers and stakeholders, and are a signal of "confidence in the sustainable growth of air travel post-Covid". He adds: "While uncertainties remain, we are on track to lift production through 2022 to meet our customers’ requirements." Airbus will publish its 2021 financial results on 17 February.

Ryanair intends to shut its base in Frankfurt International and redistribute the five aircraft allocated there to airports that have cut their landing fees amid the pandemic. The low-cost carrier currently operates 13 routes across Europe from the German hub, mostly Mediterranean leisure routes. "We are disappointed to announce the closure of our Frankfurt am Main base at the end of March 2022, but we have no alternative in response to a decision from the airport to increase its airport fees, despite the collapse in traffic caused by the Covid-19 pandemic," says Ryanair commercial director Jason McGuinness. The airline argues that amid the industry crisis "airports must incentivise traffic recovery". All of Ryanair's Frankfurt-based pilots and cabin crew have been notified of the base closure and can secure alternative positions within the network. "While Ryanair continues to invest in Germany (as evidenced by a $200m investment in a new two-aircraft Nuremberg base), the German government continues to protect legacy carriers, such as Lufthansa, who have soaked up €9bn in state aid, rather than introduce non-discriminatory traffic recovery schemes open to all airlines," the budget operator complains. It plans to increase its services across Europe in summer 2022, backed by deliveries of 65 new Boeing 737 Max jets. With many competitors having reduced their fleets and capacity because of Covid-19, the airline asserts that there are a "multitude" of airports seeking to capture growth.