Rolls-Royce Trent XWB sales top 1,000 in $480m Ethiopian Airlines contract

Saturday, 14 November 2009

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, today announced that Ethiopian Airlines has ordered Trent XWB engines worth $480m at list prices. This order takes sales of the Trent XWB, the fastest-selling Trent engine, past 1,000.

The engines, the first Trent purchase by the airline, will power 12 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, with entry into service beginning in 2017.

Girma Wake, Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines, said: “As one of Africa’s leading airlines, we constantly seek to improve our range and frequency of international services to meet growing passenger demand. Our selection of low fuel burn Trent technology will enable us to do this in the most cost-effective way.”

Metin Oktay, Rolls-Royce Vice President Customer Business - Africa, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ethiopian Airlines to the Trent family of customers. African airlines are continuing to invest in response to growing global customer demand. The Trent XWB, our latest Trent, will provide Ethiopian Airlines with leading edge technology which will keep costs to a minimum.”

Specifically designed for the A350 XWB, the Trent XWB is the most fuel efficient and environmentally sensitive large engine design on the market, with fuel efficiency ratings 28 per cent higher than pre-Trent generation engines.