Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) will miss the delivery target for A320neo family units powered by Pratt & Whitney 1100G engines due to the delays caused by the issues with the powerplants, Bloomberg has reported.

Airbus has denied to confirm that it will miss the delivery target and has reiterated that its target for the type's deliveries for 2018 remains at 800 units.

Originally, the European manufacturer had planned to deliver around 210 PW1100G-powered A320neos during the remainder of 2018. The Pratt & Whitney powerplant is one of two available engine options for the type, the other being CFM International LEAPs.

It is recalled that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive in February that warned of In-Flight engine Shut-Downs (IFSD) and Rejected Take-Off (RTO) events for select Pratt & Whitney PW1100 Geared Turbo Fan-powered A320neo/A321neo aircraft. Subsequently, the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an order temporarily grounding some PW1100G-powered A320neos operated by IndiGo Airlines and GoAir.

The manufacturing issues related to the knife edge seal on the modified aft hub of the high-pressure compressors have also caused a three-month-long gap in deliveries of the engines. Airbus was then forced to bear the costs of the storage of ready airframes without engines and potential compensation to customers. The engine manufacturer is now nearing the completion of the redesign of the faulty part.