Biggest A320neo customer IndiGo weighs rival to Pratt engine

India’s largest airline, which faced delivery delays for its first A320neo jets over issues with Pratt & Whitney engines, said it would consider a competing CFM International power plant for a later order. IndiGo, Airbus Group SE’s biggest customer for the fuel-efficient A320neo, has chosen Pratt for the first 150 of the aircraft, Aditya Ghosh, the carrier’s president, said on a conference call Friday. The airline, which took delivery of its fourth A320neo on Friday, said it has seen fuel savings of 13%. The carrier has ordered 430 of the single-aisle jetliner. "We’re eagerly looking forward to learning from the experience of other airlines that will have the CFM” engine, Ghosh said. "It will be a good opportunity for us to compare the actual operating performance of the two engines before we decide on the engine choice for the remaining 280 aircraft that we have on order." The A320neo program has been disrupted as Pratt & Whitney grapples with an issue that under certain conditions requires a delay to startup so the engines can reach the right operating temperature. IndiGo, which was supposed to receive the A320neo in December, added the first plane only in March and failed to meet its target of nine for the fiscal year that ended that month.<br/>