Will Power 18 Airbus A350-1000 Aircraft For The Leasing Company

An order for Trent XWB engines to power 18 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft valued at $1.6 billion has been place by International Airlines Group (IAG) with engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce. The order includes long-term TotalCare service support. In addition, IAG has placed options for a further 18 A350 aircraft. The A350-1000 aircraft is powered exclusively by the higher-thrust version of the Trent XWB.

"The A350-1000 will bring many benefits to our fleet," said Willie Walsh, Chief Executive Officer, IAG. "Its size and range will be an excellent fit for our existing network and, with lower unit costs, there is an opportunity to operate a new range of destinations profitably. This will not only bring greater flexibility to our network but also more choice for our customers"

"The Trent XWB has already proven itself in test flights to be the most efficient large aero engine flying today," said Mark King, President - Aerospace, Rolls-Royce. "The engine is demonstrating outstanding operational and environmental performance in its development programme. We are delighted IAG have chosen our 97,000lb higher thrust version of the Trent XWB, which builds on that success."
 
The company has already sold more than 1,200 of the Trent XWB engines, specifically designed for the A350 XWB. It took to the skies for the first time in February 2012 on an A380 flying test bed. The engine variant that will exclusively power the A350-800 and -900 was awarded EASA type certification in February and will power the first A350 XWB into service in 2014.
 
The announcement follows recent confirmation by IAG that Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines will power 18 Boeing 787 aircraft that it plans to convert from options to firm orders joining 24that are already on order.

(Image provided by Rolls-Royce)

FMI: www.rolls-royce.com