Airbus seen missing 320neo delivery target after engine problems »Manila Business Bulletin

Airbus SE to miss delivery target For Pratt & Whitney A320neo narrow-body jet aircraft this year, after problems with the engines, deliveries were halted for nearly three months. 39, after what people close to the file said

. According to one of the people, who asked not to be identified discuss internal plans. Airbus had planned to hand over about 210 Pratt jets – one of two engine options for the A320neo – for the rest of the year, the person said. It could move closer to this target if Pratt, a unit of United Technologies Corp., could accelerate turbine production beyond current levels.

The shares of Airbus fell 3.2% Monday, following the Bloomberg report. The company reiterated its overall production goal for the shipment of 800 aircraft of all models this year, said in a statement, refusing to comment on the specifics of the A320 program.

Delays on Airbus' hottest selling model – threatening to expose the planemaker and Pratt to late penalties from frustrated customers. This slowness will also weigh on Airbus' efforts to speed up production in general, thus reducing room for maneuver in its program. The company had planned to use this year to catch up with other delivery delays starting in 2017, a goal that is now out of reach.

Airbus announced in early June that it was expecting higher costs to handle the delivery of dozens of planes. parked without engine after the last issue with a seal on the high-tech engine, one of several in a new generation of fuel-efficient power plants of manufacturers who have suffered persistent teething pain.

At the time, Guillaume Faury, director of commercial aircraft, described the situation as "difficult", but said that "if the engine manufacturers respect their plans, we will remain faithful to ours or very close. " Airbus expects to work on almost everything that is called According to Bernstein analysts, operations should "normalize" in 2019, according to Bernstein analysts, who expect deliveries A320neo will be 50 planes lower than forecast. Airbus transfers are also "slightly behind schedule" due to the complexity of moving planes parked and the requirement to build new and old versions of the jet, analysts wrote in a note to customers .

Pratt & Whitney did not respond to requests for comment. Shares of parent company United Technologies are down 0.9% at 12:31. At New York.

IndiGo, the largest customer of the A320neo model with 430 aircraft in command, fell 3.6% in Mumbai to its lowest since September. The airline has already stated that it had been forced to lease A320ceo aircraft for short-term transactions, thereby adding to costs.

Airbus is expected to release monthly orders and deliveries for June this week. "At the end of the day or the year, what matters is that it has been able to provide nearly 800 aircraft and the corresponding cash inflows related to these deliveries," Airbus said. in an e-mail

. For deliveries of the family of A320 aircraft, people close to the issue said, taking over with other engine options, including the A320ceo. This variant is less expensive than the neo more fuel efficient, which means a new engine option.
The company plans to ship about another 210 A320neo with engines manufactured by CFM International, a joint venture of Safran SA and General Electric Co., said one of the people. Its Leap turbine, which is also late, contributed to the number of aircraft that were not delivered.
The last problem of the Pratt gear turbojet – a flaw in its edge seal that resulted in stopping in flight – is just the latest in a series of afflictions for the turbine. Bloomberg News reported last month that Pratt & Whitney was about to finalize a redesign of the defective part. (Bloomberg)