IAG also has some problems with Airbus A350 surfaces
IAG Group, which owns British Airways, Iberia, has experienced surface degradation on Airbus A350 jets but not to the same extent as Qatar Airways and it will not affect planned deliveries, its CEO said.
IAG Chief Executive Luis Gallego told Reuters that operators were having some surface degradation issues but that Europe’s safety aviation regulator (EASA) had said they did not impact the airworthiness of IAG’s aircraft.
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“We can see the problem in daily checks but mainly when you stop the aircraft for the first C-check,” he said in an interview, adding that “we have very young aircraft, so the level of defects that we see maybe is not comparable to others”.
“We have informed in our case EASA, and EASA told us that the level of degradation that we are experiencing doesn’t impact the airworthiness of the aircraft,” he said, outlining for the first time the defects seen by the group.
“We have a young fleet of 350s and usually you can see the defect when you have the opportunity to stop the aircraft for a check,” he added.
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EASA has said it has not identified any airworthiness problems with the A350 in general. Qatar Airways says it needs more analysis.
His comments come as IAG also holds advanced talks with planemakers on a shake up of its medium-haul fleet that could see it opt for Boeing and Airbus jets.
“We are analysing what options we have for the narrowbody; the MAX is a very good aircraft and it’s an option that we are considering,” he said.
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