Bombardier says deal on C-Series for Qatar is back on track

Talks between Qatar Airways and Canadian manufacturer Bombardier over the purchase of the C-Series narrowbody jet are back on track following a spat at the recent Farnborough Air Show.

Qatar Airways chief Akbar Al Baker had stepped away from an expected order for the new class of aircraft, blaming engine maintenance costs for the Pratt & Whitney's PW1524G.

Air Transport Intelligence claims the prolonged order negotiations are now back on.

The frenetic pace of July's international air show does not "do justice to the complexity of buying an airplane", Bombardier vice president for commercial aircraft programmes Ben Boehm told the online service. "Bombardier is in no way concerned about whether or not there is a maintenance cost issue on the engine," adding he was "still very confident that Qatar, Pratt and ourselves are going to come to an amicable agreement sometime in the future".

Al Baker, said at the Farnborough show that the maintenance cost on the aircraft's twin engines remained a sticking point. P&W has touted a 20% maintenance cost savings over current engines, due to its cooler-running hot section, which has fewer parts.

"If the airframe delivers everything we want but the maintenance costs on the engine will be higher than what we want to pay, then we have an issue," Al Baker said at the show. "So until we tie up the whole package as one deal, Qatar does not order the aircraft."

The aircraft is due to enter service by 2013 and according to ATI there are 90 firm orders and 90 options for the 110 to 149-seat jetliner.