TOULOUSE, France—Airbus Group SE has encountered
delays in flight trials of its new A320neo single-aisle jet because
of a problem on one of the engines, although the program remains on
track for its first plane delivery this year.
Flight testing is currently on hold for the A320neo powered by
PW1100G engines from Pratt & Whitney, an arm of United
Technologies Corp., said Didier Evrard, the head of programs for
Airbus's commercial jetliner unit, on Thursday. The delay should
only be a matter of days, he said.
The problem relates to clips that hold a seal in the area of the
high-pressure compressor of the engine, Mr. Evrard said. Some
batches of the component appear not to have had proper temperature
treatment.
The A320neo, the replacement to the A320 single-aisle jet now in
service, is the backbone of the plane maker's future production.
Meeting its planned launch date is critical for Airbus, which is
battling rival Boeing Co. to win new orders in the key market of
narrow-body aircraft.
A spokeswoman for Pratt & Whitney said the engine maker
understands the nature of the problem and is addressing it.
"We are confident that the A320neo with Pratt & Whitney
engines will resume flight tests in the coming weeks," spokeswoman
Sara Banda said. "And we remain on track to support an entry into
service in the fourth quarter of this year."
For Pratt & Whitney, the delay is an unwelcome wrinkle in
the rollout of one of the company's most crucial
products—a new family of engines built around a
sophisticated gearing mechanism that the company says will produce
major gains in fuel efficiency and reductions in engine noise.
The engine is otherwise performing as expected, Airbus's Mr.
Evrard said, adding the target to deliver the first A320neo before
the end of the year seems "reasonable."
The problem that has delayed the A320neo flight tests hasn't
occurred on other engines in Pratt & Whitney's PurePower engine
line, such as those for the Bombardier C-Series, a person familiar
with the matter said.
Airbus, which began A320neo flight trials with the Pratt &
Whitney engine in September, said it logged 139 flights and more
than 420 hours. Those tests have been interrupted for a few weeks
since the problem was discovered, Airbus said.
Airbus also offers the A320neo with engines made by CFM
International, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Safran
SA. That model is due several months later. Airbus this month began
flight testing an A320neo with the engine, called the Leap-1A.
Mr. Evrard said he was comfortable that the Leap-1A engine would
meet fuel-consumption targets amid reports that early versions of
the turbine aren't as efficient as intended. "The Leap will get
there," Mr. Evrard said.
Write to Robert Wall at robert.wall@wsj.com and Ted Mann at
ted.mann@wsj.com
Access Investor Kit for Airbus Group
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=NL0000235190
Access Investor Kit for Airbus Group
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US0092791005
Access Investor Kit for The Boeing Co.
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US0970231058
Access Investor Kit for United Technologies Corp.
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US9130171096
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires