Rolls-Royce awarded $5bn

Rolls-Royce has been awarded a contract worth approximately $5bn by British Airways to supply Trent engines for 61 new long haul aircraft ordered by the carrier.

British Airways has selected

Rolls-Royce

Trent engines to power up to 61 new long haul aircraft that it will acquire from Airbus and Boeing. The order could be worth in excess of $5bn at list prices.

BA’s order includes 12 firm and seven option Airbus A380 aircraft and 24 firm and 18 option Boeing 787s that are scheduled for delivery from 2010.

Willie Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of British Airways, said: 'The Rolls-Royce Trent family has a proven track record of strong environmental performance. The engines we have selected are supported by an innovative service offering and we know that they will deliver the best operational value.'

The Trent 900 is launch engine for the Airbus A380 and enters service next month. Rolls-Royce claims it is the world’s quietest and cleanest high thrust engine for the A380, with levels of emissions below the requirements of all current and proposed legislation.

The Trent 1000 is the launch engine for all variants of the Boeing 787 and will power the aircraft’s first flight later this year, before entering service on the 787-8 in 2008. The engine has been designed to maximise its environmental performance.