Qatar Airways chief says will not receive Airbus A320neos in 2017

BERLIN, March 8 (Reuters) - Qatar Airways will not receive any Airbus A320neo jets this year as it looks to upgrade its order to larger models, the airline's chief executive Akbar Al Baker said on Wednesday.

The Gulf carrier has refused to take deliveries of Airbus A320neos since December 2015 over performance issues with the aircraft's engines.

"I have to scream at Airbus to get my planes faster. I am nearly 8 destinations behind schedule because of delays in aircraft deliveries. I hope this will be resolved during this year," Al Baker told reporters in Berlin.

Qatar Airways is around 10 aircraft short from Airbus at present, including A320neos and wide body A350s, he said.

The Gulf carrier wants to swap its order for 50 A320neo family jets, which includes A319, A320 and A321 versions, for all A321neos.

An Airbus spokesperson told Reuters: "We are working with our customers to deliver aircraft to their full satisfaction."

Al Baker and Airbus separately declined to comment on the status of converting the order.

(Reporting by Victoria Bryan in Berlin; Writing by Alexander Cornwell in Dubai; Editing by Mark Potter)