Engine order coup for Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce has won its biggest-ever order in a $9.2bn deal which will provide a huge boost to UK industry.
The company is to provide Trent engines to Dubai-based airline Emirates to power 50 Airbus A380 superjumbos that will enter service from 2016.
The engine involved is the Trent 900. Sites in the UK which are involved in Trent 900 production include Derby, Bristol, Sunderland, Hucknall in Nottinghamshire, Ansty in Warwickshire, Inchinnan in Scotland and Barnoldswick in Lancashire.
The Trent 900 powered the first A380 to go into commercial service in 2007, with Singapore Airlines, and Rolls has had a long association with Emirates which has 60 superjumbos in its fleet and 80 on order.
Emirates operates 16 daily flights from the UK with nine of these using A380s whose wings are made in the UK.
The deal, which includes a long-term after-care package, was announced in London today.
Rolls-Royce chief executive John Rishton said: “We are delighted that Emirates has again placed its trust in our technology, with the biggest order in our history.”
Emirates president Sir Tim Clark said: “Today’s announcement is significant not only because it cements the partnership between Emirates and Rolls-Royce, but also because of the significant economic impact that this will have on aviation manufacturing in the UK and Europe.”
Emirates added that the deal further supported trade ties between the UK and the United Arab Emirates. A recent economic report identified that in 2013/14 Emirates’ investment in the A380 created 7,000 UK jobs, equating to a $630m GDP contribution.
