Rolls-Royce concludes three massive engine deals
AERO engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has announced three massive multi-million pound deals for its power plants. Two of the orders are from airlines in the Middle East with the third from the Far East.
The largest order is worth £311m ($500m) and has been won from Saudi Arabian Airlines. The deal is to provide engines and TotalCare aftersales support for four Airbus A330 aircraft already announced and four options.
These aircraft, which are due to enter service from 2013, will be in addition to Saudi Arabian Airlines’ existing fleet of eight Trent 700 powered Airbus A330s, and will bring the total of Trent 700 powered A330s in the fleet to 16.
Khaled Al-Molhem, Saudi Arabian Airlines Director General, said: “Our first Trent 700 powered A330 went into service in May last year and, since then it has performed flawlessly. We have confidence that Rolls-Royce technology and support services are the right choice for our continued growth.”
Phil Harris, Rolls-Royce, Senior Vice President – Civil Aerospace, said: “The Trent 700 is a market leader and in the Middle East it is the engine of choice for eight out of the 11 operators of the Airbus A330, powering three quarters of the aircraft in service. We are proud that our valued customer, Saudi Arabian Airlines has again put its trust in our world leading technology and aftermarket support.”
The Trent 700, the only engine designed specifically for the A330 aircraft, has won more than 75% of orders in the last three years and over 1,400 Trent 700 engines are now in service or on order.
Rolls-Royce has also won an order from Oman Air for engines to power six Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
The airline is the first in the Middle East to select the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine, which last month powered the first 787 Dreamliner into service.
Rolls-Royce has been selected for eight of the last nine 787 Dreamliner engine competitions.
Peter Dunsford, Rolls-Royce, Customer Business Director – Civil Aerospace, said: “We are pleased that Oman Air has again put its trust in our world leading Trent engine technology. This decision will see the airline be the first in the Middle East to enter service with the Trent 1000, the quietest and most efficient engine on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.”
Oman Air currently operates seven Trent 700-powered Airbus A330 aircraft supported by the TotalCare long term service agreement.
The final order is a £174m ($280m) deal to supply Trent 700s to Garuda Indonesia Airlines to power four Airbus A330 aircraft. In addition, the airline confirmed a previous order for Trent 700 engines to power six A330s, which was announced last year. All 10 aircraft will have the TotalCare service support.
Emirsyah Satar, Chief Executive Officer, Garuda Indonesia Airlines, said: “We are pleased to select additional Rolls-Royce engines to support the growth of our A330 fleet. In addition, TotalCare has delivered significant improvements in aircraft availability and operations to our existing A330 fleet and this will continue with our latest aircraft.”
Nick Devall, Rolls-Royce, Chief Commercial Officer – Civil Aerospace, said: “Garuda Indonesia Airlines is a valued customer and we are pleased that they have again put their trust in our leading edge technology and support services. This contract underscores the market leading position of the Trent 700, the only engine designed specifically for the A330.”
The order brings the total number of Garuda’s Trent 700 powered A330s to 20, all supported by TotalCare.
