A row between Qatar Airways and Airbus over A350 aircraft faces being played out at the High Court in London.
The Gulf carrier issued legal proceedings on Monday against the European aircraft manufacturer in the technology and construction division of the court.
The move follows the airline grounding 21 A350s over “accelerated surface degradation” which the airline claimed is “adversely impacting” the aircraft.
The airline said: “We have sadly failed in all our attempts to reach a constructive solution with Airbus. Qatar Airways has therefore been left with no alternative but to seek a rapid resolution of this dispute via the courts.”
Qatar Airways added that the legal proceedings “have been commenced to ensure that Airbus will now address our legitimate concerns without further delay”.
The Doha-based carrier said: “We strongly believe that Airbus must undertake a thorough investigation of this condition to conclusively establish its full root cause.
“Without a proper understanding of the root cause of the condition, it is not possible for Qatar Airways to establish whether any proposed repair solution will rectify the underlying condition.
“Qatar Airways’ number one priority remains the safety of its passengers and crew.”
Airbus has said it is proposing interim solutions ranging from repairs to repainting and has accused Qatar Airways of ignoring those proposals without reasonable justification.