Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) Chief Executive Officer Akbar al Baker says his airline remains hopeful it will take delivery of its maiden A320neo - A7-AJB (cn 6772) - before the end of the year despite recent reports Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) has now named Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) as the type's launch operator.
Speaking in New York following the Qatari carrier's inaugural A350-900 flight to the United States, al Baker said that should the year-end deadline be missed, engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney would be held to account. Aviation Week Network reported earlier this week that the firm's Pure Power PW1100G-JM engine was still subject to operational constraints pending some hardware and software changes due to be implemented “within a matter of weeks.”
With the Qataris unwilling to accept delivery of the aircraft in such a state, the European manufacturer has now offered the mantle of launch operator to Lufthansa. While a tentative delivery date of December 22 has been mentioned, it is still subject to regulatory concerns being addressed as well as the two sides being able to reach an agreement on financial compensation for the airline.
