In a sign of confidence following the high-profile engine blowout on a superjumbo jet late last year, plane manufacturer Airbus and engine maker Roll-Royce Group PLC on Thursday announced new orders for A380 aircraft and Trent 900 engines potentially worth about $7 billion.
The orders are a boost for the two companies, whose reputations were bruised by the failure of a Trent 900 engine on an A380 operated by Qantas Airways Ltd. near Singapore Nov. 4.
Rolls-Royce on Thursday said it has inked a deal potentially worth more than $5 billion to supply Trent 900 and Trent 1000 engines for up to 61 new wide-bodied aircraft for British Airways PLC. Separately, Airbus said South Korea’s Asiana Airlines Inc. had agreed to buy six A380-800 aircraft for about $1.8 billion.
“The order is a further endorsement of the A380 as the most efficient tool to meet demand on the world’s most heavily travelled routes, especially out of the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region,” said John Leahy, Airbus chief operations officer for customers.
U.K. flag carrier British Airways in September 2007 announced its intention to equip its new wide-bodied planes with Rolls-Royce engines. Completion of the deal allows Rolls-Royce to book the orders.
BA is one of nine customers to select Trent 900 engines to power A380s. It has an order for 12 A380s, with first delivery scheduled for 2012, and options for seven more.
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