Rolls-Royce Trent 900 to Power first VIP A380

Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines will power the first Airbus A380 to be purchased for VIP operations. His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Chairman of Kingdom Holding Company, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has ordered the aircraft, which will be delivered in 2010.

This decision means the Trent 900 has been purchased by nine of the 12 operators that have made an engine selection.

Mick Forey, Senior Vice-President – Airlines at Rolls-Royce, said: "The Trent 900 has established itself as the engine of choice on the A380, which is strengthened by this decision. We are very proud to be first to power the VIP A380 and this signals the start of a long and successful relationship with HRH Prince Alwaleed and Kingdom Holding Company.”

The Trent 900 is the fourth member of the Trent family of engines that Rolls-Royce has produced. With a fan diameter of nearly ten feet, it is the largest engine the company has ever built.

The first A380, powered by the Trent 900, recently entered service with Singapore Airlines.

Rolls-Royce has a growing presence in the Middle East, where it is playing an important role in the development of the region across all the Group’s sectors - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.

The Trent engine family has been ordered by many of Middle East customers, including ALAFCO, Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air and Qatar, powering Boeing 777s, A330s, A340s, A350 XWBs and A380. The International Aero Engines V2500 is also operated widely.