Rolls-Royce Trents power first A380 to Singapore

Wednesday, 17 October 2007

Rolls-Royce today expressed its great pride in developing and delivering the Trent 900 engine, which powers the first A380 aircraft presented to launch customer Singapore Airlines at a special ceremony at the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse.

Sir John Rose, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce, said that the A380 had captured the imagination of both the aerospace industry and the public.

“It is vital that our industry strives for continuous improvement. Rolls-Royce is committed to investing in technology to deliver increased efficiency and improvements in environmental performance, and the Trent 900 is a good example of the success of this strategy. The efforts of our engineers and the entire Rolls-Royce development team have enabled us to play a full part in this landmark delivery,” he added.

Sir John paid tribute to the vision and commitment of both Airbus and Singapore Airlines.

“By launching the A380 into service, Singapore Airlines has scored another first. We are delighted to have the opportunity to extend our valued partnership with such an innovative airline,” he said.

Eight out of the 11 airline customers who have made A380 engine selections to date have chosen the Trent 900, giving Rolls-Royce a market-leading 61 per cent share of firm and option orders.

The Trent 900, one of the most powerful engines ever produced by Rolls-Royce, has been designed to minimise its environmental impact, and will operate well within the requirements of all current and proposed legislation on emissions. The Trent-powered A380 comfortably meets the stringent noise limits for airports such as London Heathrow, one of the aircraft’s early destinations for Singapore Airlines.

Trent 900 engines have accumulated over 14,000 flying hours on four of the five A380s used in the flight test programme.

The Trent 900 is the fourth member of the Trent family of engines that Rolls-Royce has produced since the original Trent 700 first flew on the A330 in 1995. With a fan diameter of almost ten feet, it is the largest engine Rolls-Royce has ever built.
The first run of the Trent 900 took place on time in March 2003 and the engine was certificated on plan in October 2004. The first flight of the A380 took place in April 2005 and provided an early demonstration of the quietness of the Rolls-Royce powerplant.
The Trent 900 has been developed with partners around the world. Seven companies are participating as risk and revenue-sharing partners: Industria de Turbo Propulsores (ITP) of Spain, Hamilton Sundstrand, Goodrich and Honeywell of the United States, Avio of Italy, Volvo Aero of Sweden, and Marubeni of Japan. In addition, Samsung Techwin of South Korea, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and IHI of Japan are programme associates.

About Rolls-Royce in Singapore

Singapore Airlines’ links with Rolls-Royce were established in 1995 with the selection of Trent 800 engines for its fleet of Boeing 777s.
Since then the airline has also selected Trent-powered Airbus A340-500s and A330s as well as the A380. In addition, BOC Aviation, formerly Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (SALE), Silkair and all the budget carriers operating out of Singapore use the V2500 engine for their A320 fleets. The V2500 is produced by the International Aero Engines consortium in which Rolls-Royce is a senior shareholder.
Rolls-Royce is a major player in Singapore’s aerospace industry, accounting for over ten per cent of the country’s aerospace output. Through the company’s joint ventures with key local industry partner Singapore Airlines Engineering Company – Singapore Aero Engine Services Limited (SAESL) and International Engine Component Overhaul (IECO) - Rolls-Royce currently employs nearly 1,000 people in Singapore, accounting for nearly five per cent of the total industry workforce.
Rolls-Royce has established relationships with Singaporean suppliers and manufacturers including the sub-contracting of aero-engine component manufacture to Singapore Aerospace Manufacturing (SAM), a subsidiary of Accuron Technologies.
Rolls-Royce plays an active role in research and development activities in Singapore, through investments including Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems and the Rolls-Royce Singapore Advanced Technology Centre with Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) which has a broad portfolio of technologies.
In 2006, Rolls-Royce was awarded the Distinguished Partner in Progress (DPIP) Award by the Economic Development Board (EDB) of Singapore in recognition of its contribution to Singapore in economic, social and community areas.

Picture desks and broadcasters: For visual material, please go to the Rolls-Royce Media Room, where images are available at www.rolls-royce.com/media/gallery/default.jsp and for broadcast-standard video, please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/rollsroyce. If you are a first-time user, please take a moment to register. In case you have any questions, please email rolls-royce@thenewsmarket.com

» Sign up to the RNS on your handheld device or mobile phone

» Sign up to get the latest news
delivered to your inbox