An airline industry in transition

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An airline industry in transition

Rolls-Royce powered widebody aircraft have continued to be the preferred solution on the transitions market throughout the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented the aviation industry with unprecedented challenges as global airlines grounded their fleets for much of 2020 and 2021. However, despite the downturn, there was one encouraging trend that started to emerge in 2021 (and continue into 2022) – an increase in aircraft transitions. An aircraft is classed as “transitioned” when it has a change of aircraft owner, operator or purpose (or any combination of the three), and there was a lot of movement in this space as airlines reviewed their fleets in response to the pandemic.

2021 saw a number of airlines entering bankruptcy and many others restructuring their operations, forcing aircraft that otherwise would not have been available, onto the market. This created an opportunity for the ever-popular Airbus A330ceo powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 700.

With increased availability of aircraft, the cost of purchasing or leasing one of these reliable aircraft was reduced, allowing new entrants to the widebody market to capitalise on the opportunity. The period saw aircraft and service agreements for the A330ceo put in place with large established airlines, as well as with start-ups obtaining their first Rolls-Royce powered aircraft. This trend occurred across both the passenger and cargo markets, a recent example being Mexican carrier, Mas. The airline is planning to operate a fleet of 18 freighters in the next five years, having recently taken delivery of the first of eight A330 P2F conversions.

Strong performance in 2021

Last year saw an 83% increase in aircraft re-entering service with 177 transitions completed compared to 94 in 2020. 77 of those aircraft were powered by Rolls-Royce, with the remaining 100 split between General Electric, Pratt & Whitney and CFM. In the passenger market, the stand-out performer was the Airbus A330ceo and Trent 700 combination, securing 32 of 48 re-entries into service across the 12-month period. The 77 completed transitions marked an increase of 41 compared with 2020.

One key trend throughout the year was the shift of focus, from a largely existing passenger Trent 700 powered A330 global fleet, to one which is split between passenger and freighter. The passenger to freighter (P2F) conversion capacity has grown worldwide and the declared slots for conversion globally see an 88% selection of Rolls-Royce powered A330s as of end of 2021, with 44 of 50 slots confirmed, whilst a further 54 aircraft are still to be decided upon.

An encouraging sign across 2021 has been the reduction in the percentage of stored widebody aircraft from 31% to 24%. The A330 has seen a greater proportion of its fleet come out of storage with a drop of 41% to 31% across the same 12-month period.

These signs of resumption of flying across the 12-month period highlight the large part Rolls-Royce can play in the P2F market, suggesting that 2022 and beyond should be a period of optimism and growth.

A positive growth outlook

Across our widebody fleets, our forecasts show that in 2022 we will increase the number of aircraft being placed under new CareStore Service agreements and extend existing fleet contracts by around 200% compared to 2021.

This will be predominantly driven by the Trent 700 powered A330, being the combination of choice in the passenger market as well as, given fleet age dynamics, the P2F market.

Along with our continued success with the A330, we are starting to see more transitions of aircraft that are powered by one of our new-generation products (Trent XWB-84 and Trent 1000). Operators, taking the opportunity to restructure their fleets during the COVID pandemic, forced some A350 and 787s back on to the market for transition which provided an excellent opportunity for other airlines looking to benefit from newer or higher capacity aircraft. We are working closely with our lessor and financing partners to ensure we are supporting these asset placements.

Supplementing our widebody fleet successes, we continue to support multiple re-entries into service of AE3007 powered aircraft. With around 50 aircraft expected to complete transition across 2022, following a similar level of activity as 2021.

Continuing to strengthen aircraft transitions support

Our dedicated EIS (Entry Into Service) support teams ensure the seamless entry into service of new aircraft as well as aircraft moving from one airline to another. We are also working to further improve alignment with asset owners to ensure we are best placed to support the needs of the aircraft. We are also continuously looking at service innovation and pioneering new offerings in our CareStore.

Transitions and passenger to freight conversions play a key role in the Rolls-Royce growth story as we see a return to pre-pandemic activity and profit, giving us the opportunity to invest in the future, focus on our people and deliver on our net zero commitments.

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