Airbus, Qatar Airways clash over regulators, email haul at London hearing

Airbus and Qatar Airways skirmished on Friday over relations with aviation watchdogs and a deluge of confidential documents as legal claims over grounded jets hit $2b. Filling a large courtroom in the London High Court, the latest procedural hearing in a high-stakes contractual and safety dispute laboured over the intricate details of "shared drives" and "search terms" as each side looked for a smoking gun showing cosy relations with regulators. "A short-cut ought to be taken," Judge David Waksman said after sometimes testy arguments about how to handle more than 100,000 documents that may hold the key to a possible trial next year in which the reputations of major players are at stake. The hearing comes after Reuters reported on Thursday that French and Qatari leaders discussed the dispute in December 2021. Qatar Airways is suing Airbus over damage to the painted surface and underlying anti-lightning system of A350 jets, which has prompted Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) to ground 29 of the planes over its concerns of a potential safety risk. Backed by European regulators, the world's largest planemaker acknowledges quality flaws in part of the worldwide A350 fleet but maintains its premier long-haul jet is safe. Qatar Airways said Airbus had sought to exert influence over the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) by providing the agency with a "Line to Take" document. Public relations experts say this kind of document covers talking points for answering media queries and high-level conversations.<br/>