Rolls-Royce wins contract for new Boeing plane
Aero engine giant Rolls-Royce today secured a deal with American planemaker Boeing that could be worth billions of pounds.
Boeing selected Rolls-Royce and the American company General Electric to supply the engines for Boeing’s new 7E7 Dreamliner plane.
Rolls said that its engine for the 7E7 would be called the Trent 1000.
Rolls-Royce chief executive John Rose said: “I welcome this highly significant decision. We expect this programme to provide good financial returns and to build on our successful engine portfolio which has allowed us to develop a strong market position in the civil airlines sector.
Rolls-Royce’s civil aerospace president Mike Terrett added: “We are delighted by Boeing’s expression of faith in Rolls-Royce which re-affirms the Trent family’s leading position on modern widebody airliners.
“This is a special day in the long and successful relationship between our companies. Now, once again, our focus is on bringing a new generation of Trent successfully to market.”
Boeing’s 7E7 senior vice president Mike Bair said: “The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine selected for the 7E7 will set new standards of performance and enable the airplane to fly higher, faster, farther, cleaner and quieter than today’s comparable airplanes.
“Engines are a key driver in value proposition of a new airplane programme and the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 is an excellent choice for the 7E7 and the world’s airlines.”
Rolls-Royce will now be playing a part in the two biggest future new-plane projects, as its Trent 900 engine has been selected to power Airbus’s new superjumbo, the 555-seater A380.
The 7E7, which will carry around 250 passengers, is expected to go into passenger service in 2008.
