Qatar Airways A321neos/ex-A320neos

Qatar Airways threatened to cancel an order for Pratt & Whitney engines for a fleet of Airbus narrow-body jets on Tuesday, saying the newly developed powerplants had "a lot of problems".

The Gulf airline has ordered 50 A320neo-family aircraft and was originally due to take the first delivery in December, but rejected the jet due to what it called an engine problem and the first jet went last month to Lufthansa instead.

Asked at the Singapore Airshow to describe his concerns, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: "There are a lot of things wrong with A320neo, with the engines. So we have refused to accept those airplanes.

"Let me be very clear: it is not the fault of Airbus. Airbus has delivered all their part, and as you know, no airplane can fly without an engine. And they have huge issues with the engine," he said in a group interview.

"I don't want to get into the detail but Qatar Airways will not accept an aircraft with those engines unless they are very much corrected. Otherwise we have no alternative but to look at an alternate engine supply."

Pratt & Whitney (UTX.N) said it was installing fixes on engines for Airbus A320neo jetliners ordered by Qatar Airways after airline Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker threatened to cancel the engine order citing "a lot of problems".

"We have met with Mr Al Baker previously and explained that we have fixes for the issues he identified," a Pratt & Whitney spokesman said by email on Tuesday. "They are being installed in engines being built today and they will be in place prior to him receiving his engines."