Airbus A321neo completes first flight after engine switch

Airbus (AIR.PA) said that its A321neo jetliner finished its first flight on Tuesday, making the trip the usage of engines furnished through CFM global after a remaining-minute switch from generators supplied with the aid of rival Pratt & Whitney (UTX.N).

Airbus' biggest unmarried-aisle aircraft took off from Hamburg, Germany, and landed effectively 5 and a 1/2 hours later, Airbus said, an occasion marking the start of flight checks of the plane, a effective rival to Boeing's largest 737 MAX.

The transfer to CFM engines, referred to as the leap-1A and made by way of a joint project of trendy electric powered Co (GE.N) and Safran SA of France (SAF.PA), comes after a problem emerged with the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan engine that required more time for cooling before restarting under a few instances.

Airbus declined to touch upon the motive for switching to CFM engines for the initial A321neo flight. but enterprise professionals taken into consideration the move unusual because the Pratt-engine version of the A321neo is due is to enter service before the version with CFM engines.

Airbus said there's no alternate in plans for delivery, with the Pratt-equipped A321neo still predicted to attain customers on the stop of 2016, and the CFM-geared up model in early 2017.

Pratt & Whitney stated that its Geared Turbofan is already carrying passengers at the smaller Airbus A320neo plane, the primary version of which turned into introduced to Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) final month. The engine has met all of its performance goals, Pratt stated.