A350 Fuselage coating cracks

[ATC Watcher]

What I find surprising on the TUI photo are the uneven rivets on the left, and on the foreground. The aircraft cannot the that old ...Is this normal ?

[Nil by mouth]

If they're going to repaint those taped surfaces it'll be a hell of a job removing all of those bits of tape and the sticky mess left behind.
A heat gun and turpentine is probably not an approved method?

[Jhieminga]

Originally Posted by ATC Watcher

What I find surprising on the TUI photo are the uneven rivets on the left, and on the foreground. The aircraft cannot the that old ...Is this normal ?

I don't know if it is normal, but it may be related to the paint issue. With the amount of flex in the 787 wing, you need a lot of elasticity in the paint layer and perhaps the rivets are places where bits of paint start flaking off first.

[HOVIS]

Originally Posted by Nil by mouth

If they're going to repaint those taped surfaces it'll be a hell of a job removing all of those bits of tape and the sticky mess left behind.
A heat gun and turpentine is probably not an approved method?

Standard solvent based cleaners can be used.

[unmanned_droid]

They're not rivets, and they're not uneven.

[LandIT]

Qatar Airways and Airbus reach amicable settlement in legal dispute

Airbus website link below, reporting that Qatar airways and Airbus have reached an amicable settlement of the A350 surface coating issue. News media also reporting that Qatar has accepted that Airbus reinstate their orders for 23 more A350's and also the 50 A321's previously cancelled by Airbus due to the dispute. Legal proceedings are discontinued. Reported that Airbus will repair the A350 surface coatings. The first of the 23 A350 deliveries are scheduled for later in 2023 and the first of the A321's are now scheduled for 2026. Remembering early reports in 2021 on the dispute that Qatar is taking legal action in London and hoping for an early resolution of the dispute, I wonder whether this settlement fits that expectation.

https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/p...-legal-dispute

[WHBM]

One wonders if they (particularly the A321s) are reinstated at the original delivery dates, and at the original price. The A350s I understand are mostly built already, and stored.

[zerograv]

the first of the A321's are now scheduled for 2026

(says on the post just above your post)

The popularity of the A321 Neo - over 3,600 of the variant are backlogged - has resulted in less flexibility for reinstating the agreement

in FlightGlobal

[llagonne66]

Looks like Mr Al Baker blinked first ... as he does need more the 350s and the 321neos than Airbus needs his business

[atakacs]

Not sure who balked but seen reason has finally prevailed. Better for all involved I’d say.

[llagonne66]

Originally Posted by atakacs

Not sure who balked but seen reason has finally prevailed. Better for all involved I’d say.

The settlement agreement being confidential, we may never know expect if it leaks someday.
Just a hunch feeling on my side

[Asturias56]

Originally Posted by llagonne66

Looks like Mr Al Baker blinked first ... as he does need more the 350s and the 321neos than Airbus needs his business

Even Mr Baker recognises that tying yourself publicly to one supplier doesn't make much sense - no discounts from Mr B when you're a captive customer.