Qatar Airways A380 Deliveries Delayed Again – CEO

Delivery of the first three Airbus A380 superjumbos to Qatar Airways has hit a further delay of several weeks due to unresolved cabin issues, the airline’s chief executive said.

The delivery had originally been expected around the end of May, coinciding with a meeting of global airlines in Qatar’s capital Doha, but was pushed back after the airline apparently rejected the aircraft during a routine pre-delivery inspection.

“The delivery of Qatar Airways’ first three A380 aircraft has been further delayed as certain elements of the aircraft are being finalised to meet the high standards and expectations of Qatar Airways,” CEO Akbar Al Baker told Reuters.

“The delivery of these Qatar Airways A380 aircraft has been delayed due to certain issues affecting the interior of the cabin which were identified during the airline’s standard aircraft delivery process which includes rigorous inspections by its specialist technical team,” he said in an emailed statement.

“As a result of the findings, the delivery schedule of the airline’s A380 aircraft has been impacted to allow Airbus to address Qatar Airways’ requests.”

Airbus said it could not comment on delivery dates for individual aircraft, which was a matter for the customer.