According to a court document published on Thursday by Boeing rival Airbus, Qatar Airways has indicated that a provisional agreement to purchase up to 50 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft has expired.
The agreement, which was signed in Washington in January, is one of several related contracts that are currently the subject of litigation in London between Airbus and the Gulf carrier over a larger plane.
After the airline mentioned it as part of its request for reimbursement for damage to the A350, which is now valued at $1.4 billion, Airbus demanded a copy of the Boeing 737 MAX agreement.
According to a summary of the points put up by Airbus ahead of a UK court hearing, Qatar Airways first contested the request on the basis that the provisional Boeing arrangement had already ‘expired.’
The Boeing contract was not included in Qatar Airways’ own pre-written arguments, which were not immediately available for comment. Regarding conversations with airline customers, Boeing declined to comment.
Following a procedural hearing on Thursday, persons with knowledge of the situation indicated that a redacted version of the Boeing agreement is expected to be provided with Airbus.
One individual with knowledge of the issue called the argument over the document’s publication a ‘red herring’ as Airbus and Qatar Airways moved closer to a trial on the main A350 disagreement.
The contract’s status, which involves a model of 737 MAX that is itself in doubt due to regulatory concerns in the United States, has not been independently confirmed.
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