European aircraft maker Airbus has delayed the delivery of its new A320neo jet to Lufthansa until the beginning of next year, the German airline said on Wednesday.

A Lufthansa spokeswoman told AFP the two companies had reached agreement late Tuesday that delivery would be set back owing to the "high level of technical complexity" of the handover.

Originally, Airbus had wanted to present the new jet to the German flag carrier this year.

"We cannot name a new date as yet. But we hope and presume it will be in January," the spokeswoman said.

Lufthansa is among the first customers slated to receive delivery of the updated medium-range airliner and has ordered 116 of the jets, which have more fuel-efficient engines than the previous A320s.

The plane has lifted Airbus's orders in recent years as it offers airlines fuel savings of up to 15 percent.