Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said Thursday that the company hopes to reach an amicable solution to the dispute with Qatar Airways over damage to the deck of the A350 passenger plane, according to a Reuters report.
The two companies have been feuding for months over the erosion of aircraft paint and the deterioration of lightning protection, a problem Airbus has acknowledged the need to address while insisting it does not jeopardize aircraft safety.
Qatar Airways has sued Airbus for more than $600 million, and has refused to take delivery of more A350s until regulatory authorities have an official analysis of the problem.
Airbus canceled contracts for two planes and a separate order from Qatar to buy 50 "A321neo" planes, claiming that Qatar Airways erred in describing the defect and in interpreting the contracts.
"We had to make this decision to exercise our right," said the Airbus CEO.
"This decision came after many attempts to find mutually beneficial solutions, and we still hope to reach an amicable solution," he added.
Each side has vowed to defend its position in what is seen as a rare public feud in the often secretive aerospace industry.
Experts say Qatar Airways is expected to seek a court ruling preventing the airline from canceling the A321 deal, even though it has ordered at least 25 rival Boeing 737 MAX planes.
Airbus' decision to cancel the A321 order, which is in increasing demand, has worried aviation officials, including the president of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), who stressed the need for aircraft manufacturers not to take advantage of market power.