The decision confirms the Trent 900 as the engine of choice on the four-engine A380. It has now secured more than 50 per cent market share on the aircraft, in addition to being selected by the majority of A380 customers.
John Rishton, Rolls-Royce, Chief Executive Officer, said: “The success of Emirates over the last thirty years has been extraordinary; this is in no small part thanks to the exceptional leadership of Sir Tim Clark. Rolls-Royce has been proud to have been part of this success, powering Emirates aircraft since 1996. We are delighted that Emirates has again placed its trust in our technology, with the biggest order in our history.”
Sir Tim Clark, Emirates Airline, President, said: “Rolls-Royce is a key partner for Emirates and we have been impressed with its commitment to continual improvements in the economic and operational performance of the Trent 900. These improvements have been decisive factors in our selection of the product for 50 of our A380s. 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.”
The Trent 900 powered the first commercial A380 in 2007 and is now used by eight operators on more than 70 aircraft, having logged over 4 million in-service flight hours. The engine offers the lowest lifetime fuel burn, with the latest version including technology developed for the Trent XWB and Trent 1000 engines.
This order will result in an increase in the Group’s order book of $6.1bn, in accordance with Group accounting policy.
Rolls-Royce’s vision is to create better power for a changing world via two main business divisions, Aerospace and Land & Sea. These business divisions address markets with two strong technology platforms, gas turbines and reciprocating engines. Aerospace comprises Civil Aerospace and Defence Aerospace. Land & Sea comprises Marine, Nuclear and Power Systems.
Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 120 countries, comprising more than 380 airlines and leasing customers, 160 Armed Forces, 4,000 marine customers including 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.