PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus (PA:AIR) has delivered 35 A320neo aircraft so far this year, industry sources said on Tuesday, bringing to 103 the number of upgraded medium-haul jets placed in service since deliveries began in January last year.
The widely watched deliveries, which as of Monday totalled 9 so far in April, include the first aircraft for Icelandic budget carrier WOW air, which said on Tuesday it had taken the jet, powered by new LEAP engines from CFM International, under a leasing deal with Air Lease Corp (N:AL).
Airbus aims to deliver some 200 of the A320neo jets, the latest version of Airbus's best-selling jet programme, this year. It is equipped with new fuel-saving engines from either CFM, jointly owned by General Electric (N:GE) and France's Safran (PA:SAF), or U.S. rival Pratt & Whitney.
But deliveries have been hampered partly by problems with Pratt & Whitney's new Geared Turbofan engines.
Since A320neo deliveries began in 2016, Airbus has delivered 53 aircraft with Pratt & Whitney engines and 50 powered by CFM.
Pratt & Whitney parent United Technologies (N:UTX) on Tuesday reaffirmed plans to deliver 350 to 400 Geared Turbofan engines to planemakers this year.
CFM's shareholders have said they are trimming forecasts for LEAP engine deliveries to Airbus and other planemakers in 2017 to 450-500 units from 500.
Airbus is expected to give an update on its own deliveries to airlines with quarterly earnings on Thursday.