Rolls gets Emirates order worth $8.4b

Dubai: Rolls-Royce announced on Sunday at the Dubai Airshow that Emirates has ordered Trent XWB engines to power up 120 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.

At the list prices the order is worth up to $8.4 billion, if all options are exercised, including a long-term TotalCare services agreement.

The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB is currently the only engine available on the A350 XWB family. Emirates has ordered 50 firm A350-900 and 20 A350-1000 aircraft, with 50 option rights, due for delivery from 2014.

The Trent XWB is the fourth version of the Trent family ordered by Emirates and will bring its Trent-powered fleet to about 175 aircraft.

"We are pleased to expand our business with Rolls-Royce, who will be providing the engines for Emirates' new A350 fleet. The Trent XWB gives us optimum results in terms of lifecycle costs, performance and environmental impact. We are relying on, and have confidence in, Rolls Royce's ability to meet our aircraft and operational requirements. We look forward to working with them throughout the programme," said Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

Special relation

Emirates operates 29 Airbus A330s powered by the Trent 700, 21 Trent 800-powered Boeing 777s and 10 A340-500s, for which the Trent 500 is the sole engine.

"The new order further develops our important relationship with Emirates and with the Middle East. Emirates has become one of the world's largest and most profitable airlines and we are delighted that Rolls-Royce will continue to be part of this success story through our involvement in the A350 XWB," said Sir John Rose, chief executive of Rolls-Royce.