Surface coating irregularities were discovered on 4-year-old Qatar Airways Airbus A350

A 4-year-old Qatar Airways Airbus A350 (registered A7-ALL) was being prepared at Shannon Airport, Ireland, for paint removal from the aircraft’s standard Qatar Airways livery into the special 2022 World Cup livery, held in Qatar when engineers discovered surface coating irregularities. 

The aircraft was previously involved in a ground collision at Malé Airport, the Maldives, in 2018 and repaired, however, stabiliser damage was also found as a result of the inspection.

The aircraft will now be ferried to Toulouse, France and checked upon by Airbus engineers.

An Airbus spokesman commented to Aviation24.be: “Whilst undergoing a repaint at Shannon, Qatar Airways’ Airbus A350-900 aircraft was observed to have some irregularities on the surface coating. The issue is superficial/cosmetic and only visible when the top coat of paint is stripped. It is not a structural composite issue! In agreement with Qatar Airways the aircraft will be flown to Toulouse for further inspection -as a precaution- and re-painting. There is no safety concern.“

Multiple cracks were found in the composite structure on a Qatar Airways A350-900 (A7-ALL, 1st flt SEP 2016) while undergoing a new paint job at Shannon (EINN), Ireland. Aircraft was previously involved in a ground collision in 2018. https://t.co/YlsKpt9bCB https://t.co/wFpxCVRK2Q

— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) January 4, 2021