Rolls-Royce powers China’s first A380 delivery
Friday, 14 October 2011
Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, today powers the delivery of the first Airbus A380 aircraft to a Chinese airline.
The aircraft is the first of five ordered by China Southern Airlines, all equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, to be delivered.
Si Xianmin, Chairman, China Southern Airlines, said: “We have enjoyed a long and positive relationship with Rolls-Royce, operating a range of its engines in our current fleet, and look forward to this continuing in the future.”
Phil Harris, Rolls-Royce, Senior Vice President – Civil Aerospace, said: “We are proud that our market leading Trent technology is powering China Southern Airlines’ new fleet of A380 aircraft, the first to enter service in China. China Southern Airlines is an extremely important customer and we look forward to extending our positive relationship as we support their continued growth.”
The Trent 900 has been selected by 11 out of 16 operators globally, seven out of eight operators in Asia and has been the choice of all A380 customers who have made engine selection decisions this year.
Trent 900 Facts
- At take-off, the Airbus A380's four Trent 900s can deliver thrust of 280,000lbF, equivalent to the power of 1,900 cars.
- Each Trent 900 can suck in more than a tonne of air per second – the equivalent of all the air in a squash court.
- The highest temperature inside an engine is nearly half as hot as the surface of the sun.
About Rolls-Royce
- Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
- As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 4,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines.
- Annual underlying revenues were £10.8 billion in 2010, of which more than half came from the provision of services. The firm and announced order book stood at £61.4 billion at 30 June 2011, providing visibility of future levels of activity.
- Rolls-Royce employs over 39,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in over 50 countries. Over 11,000 of these employees are engineers.
- In 2010, Rolls-Royce invested £923 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental performance of its products, in particular reducing emissions.
- Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which connect the company’s engineers with the forefront of scientific research.
- The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.
- Rolls-Royce has been building a strong presence in the civil aerospace, marine and energy markets in China for more than 50 years.
- Rolls-Royce relationship with China Southern Airlines can be traced back 25 years. China Southern Airlines was the launch customer in mainland China for the Trent 700 powered A330.
About China Southern Airlines
- China Southern Airlines is the third largest airline in the world and the largest in Asia, and operates the largest fleet in China. It currently operates a fleet of over 400 aircraft flying to nearly 900 cities in 170 countries. It operates from two main hubs in Guangzhou and Beijing, as well as twelve branches and five holding subsidiaries in China, and 53 international offices.
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