A230neo may require engine modification that could cut fuel efficiency

Toulouse

AIRBUS Group SE's revamped A320neo jetliner, due for its first delivery this month, may require modifications to one of its engine variants that could reduce fuel efficiency, according to analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The Pratt & Whitney powerplant may need shorter compressor blades to improve cooling, potentially affecting performance, analysts including David Perry and Seth Seifman said in a note that cited "industry contacts". Pratt, which was already weighing fixes to the engine, responded last Wednesday by saying that all efficiency commitments will be met when it enters service.

The dispute underscores the importance of fuel economy metrics in an engine that Pratt will use to challenge General Electric Co (GE) in the lucrative market to power narrow-body jets, the workhorses of the global airline fleet. Pratt, which took almost 30 years and spent about US$1…