Rolls-Royce to power new Airbus planes

Aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce said yesterday it had signed an agreement with Airbus to provide its next-generation Trent engine for all variants of the European planemaker's new A350 XB plane. The Rolls-Royce contract followed a preliminary agreement...

Aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce said yesterday it had signed an agreement with Airbus to provide its next-generation Trent engine for all variants of the European planemaker's new A350 XB plane.

The Rolls-Royce contract followed a preliminary agreement announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in July. It did not give a value for the deal.

"The Trent XWB will offer a range of thrusts from 75,000lb to 95,000lb to power all versions of the A350 XWB which is due to enter service in 2013," Rolls-Royce said in a statement.

"The latest noise and emissions reduction technology will ensure that the engine meets all current and proposed environmental legislation with significant margins."

The A350 XB is Airbus's much-delayed attempt to catch up with US arch-rival Boeing, whose own mid-size 787 "Dreamliner" project has been selling rapidly.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.