Julian Moxon

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker's surprise revelation at the Farnborough airshow that "issues”&nbsp;with the Pratt &amp; Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan engine had blocked an order for as many as 90 Bombardier C Series jets at the show seemed the last thing P&amp;W needed at a critical time for the engine program. 
Al Baker declined to elaborate, but added that he hoped that the problem “could be resolved soon.”&nbsp;His statement inevitably raised questions about the new technology P&amp;W hopes to deliver to the next generation of single-aisle equipment, either re-engined or all new. 
The geared fan technology does not in itself present a problem, however.&nbsp;“There are sensitive commercial issues,”&nbsp;said Al Baker. These might revolve around skepticism that P&amp;W can indeed deliver on its claimed 20-percent saving in maintenance costs and the associated guarantees. Pratt &amp; Whitney has been trying to convince the market that gearing the turbofan de-stresses the engine so much that it can deliver even better reliability than today's turbofans; unfortunately for Pratt, it appears not all the airlines believe it. 
However, the&nbsp;“issue”&nbsp;might be no more than a screen for Al Baker's real agenda–to wait and see whether <a href="?q=node/24139">Airbus and/or Boeing launch re-engined versions of their respective narrowbodies</a>. At the show, he revealed that he had not ruled out that option.&nbsp;“If they bring an aircraft superior to the C Series in terms of seat-mile, maintenance and lower fuel burn, we'd think about it,”&nbsp;he said. There would still be a market for the C Series, he added.&nbsp;“It won't kill the program, but I would worry for them.”&nbsp;
Of course, P&amp;W might just have to defend a case for higher engine pricing based on claimed lower operating costs. The engine manufacturer told AIN at the show that any skepticism&nbsp;“would go away once they go through the data.”&nbsp;A spokesman for the company added that&nbsp;“we're talking to [Qatar] and to Bombardier and we're continuing to work to see if we can bring the order home.”

Qatar's C Series 'Issues' Hit Sour Note for Pratt 

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker's surprise revelation at the Farnborough airshow that &quot;issues”&nbsp;with the Pratt &amp; Whitney PW1000G geared turbo

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