Qatar Airways' Boeing 737 deal has lapsed, UK court told

Qatar Airways has indicated that a provisional agreement to buy up to 50 Boeing 737 MAX jets has lapsed, Boeing's rival Airbus said in a court document released on Thursday. The deal, signed in Washington in January, is part of a series of inter-locking agreements caught up in a London court dispute between Airbus and the Gulf carrier over a larger jet. Airbus requested a copy of the Boeing 737 MAX agreement after the airline brought it up as part of its bid for compensation for damage to the A350, now worth $1.4b. Qatar Airways initially resisted the request on the grounds that the provisional Boeing deal had now "expired", Airbus said in a summary of arguments presented ahead of a UK court hearing. Qatar Airways, whose own preparatory written arguments made no reference to the Boeing deal, had no immediate comment. Boeing declined comment on discussions with airline customers. A redacted version of the Boeing agreement is likely to be shared with Airbus, people familiar with the case said following a procedural hearing on Thursday.<br/>