A320neo delayed due to technical complecities - Curt Lewis

Airbus delays delivery of first A320neo aircraft

Airbus has pushed back the delivery of its first A320neo aircraft to the start of 2016, it said on Wednesday, missing a goal to hand over the revamped version of the jet to its initial customer by the end of 2015.

The A320neo, seen as a profit driver for Airbus and its suppliers in coming years, won safety approval in late November, and Airbus said it was working with its development partners to bring the plane into operation.

"All three partners continue working with all efforts and full focus towards bringing the fuel-efficient A320neo into service within the next weeks," Airbus said in a statement, adding that the problem lay with documentation for the delivery, but without giving any further details.

German carrier Lufthansa became the first airline due to take delivery of the A320neo passenger jet earlier this month, after Qatar Airways voiced uncertainty over the performance of its Pratt & Whitney engines.

Lufthansa said it had agreed with Airbus to delay the delivery to the start of 2016 due to "technical complexities".