Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker threatened to stop taking deliveries of Airbus SE jets this year because of an unspecified “serious” disagreement, a warning that could hamper the plane maker’s recovery plans. Falling out with Qatar Airways, Al Baker warned, will cause Airbus “a stress in the relationship with IAG, with LatAm, with other airlines in which we have a shareholding”. “I unfortunately cannot tell you what that issue is,” Al Baker said. Qatar Airways is among Airbus’s most important customers, particularly as the manufacturer considers competing with US rival Boeing by moving into marketing cargo carriers. Qatar Airways has ordered 60 of the new model, which is being billed as the “world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet”.

Source: The Irish Times May 31, 2021 10:46 UTC