DUBAI- Qatar Airways said on Thursday it has grounded 13 of its Airbus A350 jets at the instruction of Qatar's aviation regulator due to the surface below the paint deteriorating faster than expected.

The state-owned carrier has fallen out with the European planemaker over the dispute, having said earlier this year it would not take A350 deliveries until the problem was fixed.

"With this latest development, we sincerely expect that Airbus treats this matter with the proper attention that it requires," Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said in a statement.

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; editing by David Evans) ((Alexander.Cornwell@thomsonreuters.com;))