Farnborough, UK. 12 July 2016. Rolls-Royce has won a USD900.0 million order Virgin Atlantic for Trent XWB engines and Total Care long-term maintenance services on 12 Airbus A350-100 jets. The order covers engines and TotalCare for twelve aircraft, including for four leased aircraft, with engines already ordered, to be operated by Virgin Atlantic.
The Trent XWB is the world’s most efficient engine flying today, and first powered the A350 XWB into service in January 2015. Assembled in Derby, UK, the Trent XWB is the fastest-selling wide-body engine with more than 1,600 engines sold to 42 customers.
Eric Schulz, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said: “Virgin Atlantic is a great customer which has shown a continued commitment to our Trent engine family and we look forward to the Trent XWB delivering outstanding economics and performance. Successes such as the Trent XWB are the result of decades of investment in fundamental technologies, research and development and manufacturing infrastructure to bring world beating products to market. The Trent family of engines benefitted from UK investment in each of these stages including innovations in materials, aerodynamics, noise, control systems and manufacturing technologies.”
Almost half of the value of the Trent XWB engine consists of parts made in the UK by Rolls-Royce and its suppliers. Rolls-Royce manufacturing plants in the UK contributing to the engine are located at Ansty, Barnoldswick, Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Hucknall, Inchinnan, Nuneaton, Rotherham, Sunderland and Washington.
Craig Kreeger, CEO, Virgin Atlantic, said: “The size of this order demonstrates our absolute focus on investing in the future for our customers and our people, and confirms the strength of our business. The A350-1000 plays a pivotal role in our fleet programme, and with the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine, it is helping to create one of the youngest, cleanest, greenest fleets in the sky. We’re looking forward to introducing this aircraft to our customers, as its impressive economics, fuel performance, and quiet flying offer an irresistible proposition that makes long haul travel more enjoyable and better for the environment.”
The A350-1000 aircraft, which will fly for the first time later this year, features a higher thrust version of the engine, the Trent XWB-97, which began flight tests last November.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said: “I welcome the news of Virgin Atlantic’s investment. As well as being good news for passengers, it’s great news for jobs in the UK. The fantastic Airbus A350 is built in the UK, with Rolls-Royce engines and suppliers across the country. It’s an investment in the UK itself, and our world-beating aerospace industry.”
