Rolls-Royce lands major engines deal from aircraft leasing firm

Rolls-Royce has secured a major deal to supply Trent engines to a global aircraft leasing company.

The engineering giant, which has its civil aerospace division in Derby, has received an order for 70 Trent 7000 engines from Avolon to power 35 Airbus A330-900 aircraft.

The deal comes as Avolon expands its fleet through orders for 250 new aircraft from Airbus and Boeing.

These include 140 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and 110 Airbus jets, made up of 75 A320neo-family aircraft and 35 A330-900s. Avolon also has options to buy a further 100 Airbus aircraft.

The wider aircraft orders are subject to approval by Avolon’s majority shareholder, Bohai Leasing.

Ewen McDonald, chief customer officer at Rolls-Royce, said: “We welcome Avolon’s continued trust and partnership in the Trent 7000 programme with its latest order of Airbus A330-900s.

“Avolon is an important customer and long-standing supporter of this aircraft/engine combination, which forms a large part of its widebody fleet.”

The Trent 7000 is the only engine available for the A330neo.

It builds on technology used in Rolls-Royce’s Trent XWB engine and has clocked up more than five million flying hours since entering service in 2018.

Rolls-Royce says it has delivered strong reliability – with the A330neo and Trent 7000 combination using 14% less fuel per seat than the previous generation, while also reducing emissions.

The Trent 7000 is certified to run on a fuel blend containing up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel.

Rolls-Royce has also demonstrated that it can operate on 100% SAF, supporting efforts to reduce aviation emissions.

Avolon is a major aircraft leasing company that supplies aircraft to airlines worldwide.

Will Pitcher, head of powerplant strategy and asset solutions at Avolon, said: “The A330neo remains one of the most capable and efficient widebody aircraft in the market today.

“Powered by the Trent 7000, it offers our airline customers a compelling combination of fuel efficiency, operational reliability and range.

“This order strengthens our ability to support customers’ fleet renewal and growth plans over the coming decade.”