£287m boost for Rolls-Royce as Finnair extends Airbus order
AERO engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has received a welcome boost to its coffers following a decision by Finnish airline Finnair to order eight new Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.
As the aircraft is powered solely by the Trent XWB engine, the additional order is worth £287m ($450m) at list prices.
The eight aircraft are in addition to 11 Airbus A350 XWBs Finnair already has on order, powered by the same engine.
Finnair was the first airline to select the A350 XWB and will be the first European airline to receive the aircraft.
Rolls-Royce announced last month it was shedding 2,600 jobs due to falling demand for its products. The move followed decisions during the summer by leading airlines in the Middle East and China to cancel long-standing aircraft orders, leaving Rolls-Royce with a massive black hole in its order book.
The Trent XWB is the world’s most efficient large civil aero engine, and the fastest-selling widebody engine ever with more than 1,500 engines already sold. It will power the first A350 XWB into service later this year.
Bruce Blythe, Rolls-Royce, Senior Vice President – Customers, Civil Large Engines said: “We welcome Finnair’s decision to add to its A350 XWB fleet, and look forward to delivering outstanding performance.”
The A350 XWB has also received type certification from the American and European airworthiness authorities.
In just over 14 months Airbus executed one of the toughest, most intense test programmes ever developed and it was rewarded for its efforts when the A350-900 received EASA and FAA Type Certification, paving the way for a commercial launch with Qatar Airways.
Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO, said: “The A350-900 is now ready to fly from the nest and be enjoyed by airlines and passengers.”
