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A320neo ...a fuel-saving plane.

Airbus in final stages of A320neo ground tests

PARIS, September 18, 2014

Airbus is conducting the final stage of ground trials as it edges towards the keenly-awaited first flight of its revamped A320neo aircraft, the planemaker has said.

The first test aircraft is on the "final run-in" towards its maiden flight, a spokesman said in answer to a query, but added it was too early to predict an exact date.

Airbus is sticking to its target for a first flight in the third quarter, or by the end of September, the spokesman said.

Maiden flights need good weather and are usually announced just a few days before they are expected to happen.

Industry sources have said the flight was tentatively planned in early September, but had to be pushed back because of a problem with engine testing, raising some concerns that the flight could slip to October.

Airbus and its engine maker Pratt & Whitney have declined to comment on the precise schedule, but analysts are paying close attention because the success of the new fuel-saving version of Airbus's best-selling A320 jet depends in part on new engine technology to fulfil a backlog of 3,000 orders from airlines.

Another person familiar with the matter said preparations had been disrupted by a problem with a bird strike test.

The test, in which bird carcasses are fired at an engine to test its ability to withstand a potentially dangerous bird strike, is one of several key steps towards certification.

Pratt & Whitney declined to comment on the test. "We routinely test our engines and we do not share specifics of our test results," a spokeswoman for the United Technologies subsidiary said.

The first flight of the A320neo is one of several important milestones expected for Airbus this month including the final safety certification of its latest long-haul jet, the A350.

Simultaneous European and US safety approval is expected around the end of the month, allowing Europe's first mainly carbon-composite jetliner to be delivered to launch customer Qatar Airways in the following weeks, subject to final checks. - Reuters




Tags: airbus | Qatar Airways | plane |

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