INDIA: IndiGo Says Delivery Of Airbus A320neo Aircraft To Be Delayed

IndiGo has said that deliveries of Airbus A320neo aircraft will be delayed. India's largest airline by market share had ordered 430 planes of the kind and was expecting the first to be delivered on December 30.

"At this time, IndiGo does not have a clear visibility of its future A320neo delivery schedule and the potential for additional delays exist. We are looking at mitigating the potential shortfall in capacity through other options," the airline said in a notification to the stock exchange.

The carrier added that it had received an update from Airbus that delivery of the first aircraft will be delayed due to "industrial reasons."

Earlier this month, a report in aviation magazine Air Transport World said pointed out that unresolved issues connected with the aircraft's geared turbofan engine was the reason for delay and last minute swap in launch customer for the aircraft. The engine is made by Pratt & Whitney and promises 15% lesser fuel burn.

IndiGo declined to comment on the Air Transport World report.

The airline has 98 Airbus A320 aircraft at present and plans to add 23 planes in next fiscal. The airline may be forced to dry lease aircraft on a short term basis. Last year, it took 12 A320s on lease from Indonesia's Tigerair Mandala to ramp up capacity.

Qatar Airways was supposed to be the launch customer for A320neo. According to the report, the airline has refused to take deliveries until operational restrictions placed on the engine are lifted. IndiGo was to take delivery of the aircraft after Qatar Airways.

Now Lufthansa will be the launch customer for Airbus A320neo followed by Qatar Airways and IndiGo, the report in Air Transport World added.