Airbus will miss its delivery target for Pratt & Whitney-powered A320neo narrow-body jets this year, after problems with the engines caused an almost 3-month halt in shipments, people familiar with the matter said. The planemaker expects to deliver 30 to 40 fewer of the aircraft than previously anticipated. Airbus had planned to hand over about 210 of the Pratt-powered jets -- one of two engine options for the A320neo -- during the rest of this year. It could get closer to that target if Pratt can accelerate engine production beyond current levels. The delays on Airbus’s hottest selling model threaten to expose the planemaker and Pratt to late penalties from frustrated customers. The tardiness also will pressure Airbus’s effort to ramp up production generally, reducing room for manoeuvring in its schedule. <br/>
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US safety regulators are ordering inspections of the fan hub on Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines, to check for defects or cracks. The US FAA states that its directive – which takes effect July 11 – has been prompted by reports of damage to the fan hub. Damage was found on a PW1100G during an engine shop visit and the FAA says it believes this resulted from installation of the inlet cone without using alignment pins. This could lead to bolts impacting the fan hub, it says, and the condition could result in uncontained hub failure. The directive requires operators to carry out, within 90 days, a visual inspection of the fan hub in line with instructions issued by Pratt & Whitney on 31 May. Hawaiian Airlines and Spirit Airlines have the powerplant in their A320neo fleets. <br/>
Passengers flying to and from and transiting through the US, Australia and New Zealand will face now restrictions on carrying powder-like substances in their cabin/hand bags. While the US decision to do so was known earlier, Australia and New Zealand have also imposed restrictions on power-like substances in hand bags of flyers. Under the new directive, powder-like substances in containers equal to or over 350 ml/grams have to be checked-in, and will not be allowed in carry-on belongings or cabin baggage. The TSA enacted this rule after a foiled attempt to put an improvised explosive device using powder explosives on a Gulf carrier in Australia last year. <br/>
China said Friday that the US should tell its airlines to change their websites to refer to self-ruled Taiwan as Chinese territory, after the US said China had rejected requests for talks on the matter. China has demanded that foreign firms, and airlines in particular, begin referring to Taiwan as Chinese territory on their websites, along with Hong Kong and Macau. Numerous non-US carriers have already made changes to their websites. But several US companies were among carriers that sought extensions to a May 25 deadline to make the changes. The final deadline is July 25. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was the broad consensus in the international community that there was only one China and that Taiwan was part of it, and that this was not up for negotiation. <br/>