Rolls-Royce secures $5.6bn record order with Qatar Airways selection of the Trent XWB

Rolls-Royce today announced the largest-ever firm engine order for its civil aerospace business in an order with Qatar Airways worth $5.6 billion at list prices, which includes a TotalCare long term services agreement. The order, announced at the Paris Air Show, is for Trent XWB engines to power Qatar’s new fleet of 80 Airbus A350 XWB twinjets, with deliveries beginning in 2013.

The order includes all members of the A350 XWB family, consisting of 20 A350–800s, 40 A350–900s and 20 of the largest family variant, the A350–1000. A single version of the Trent XWB will be capable of powering all aircraft in the series.

Mr Akbar Al-Baker, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways, said: “This commonality will give us a highly-efficient engine and airframe combination that will have a positive impact on cost of ownership. By developing this engine specifically for the A350 XWB, Rolls-Royce will deliver an optimised powerplant with not only the best economics, but also new generation environmental technologies.”

Sir John Rose, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce, added: "This is an extremely significant order from one of the world’s most forward-looking airlines. Qatar Airways has developed a reputation as ambitious and fast-moving, and we are committed to helping it achieve its goals.”

Latest noise and emissions reduction features will be drawn from the
Rolls-Royce Vision technology acquisition programmes, ensuring the Trent XWB exceeds all current and anticipated environmental legislation by significant margins.

The Trent XWB is the only engine available for the A350 XWB. This is Qatar Airways’ second selection of a Trent engine. The airline also operates a fleet of four Airbus A340-600s, powered by the Trent 500.