Rolls-Royce secures USD5.6bn record order with Qatar Airways

Notes and media contacts

1. The 75,000 - 95,000lb thrust Trent XWB is the sixth member of the three-shaft Trent engine series and is being developed specifically for the Airbus A350 XWB twinjet. It is available for deliveries from mid-2013 and will be certificated at 95,000lbs from entry into service.

2. By the time the Trent XWB enters service, Trent series engines will have accumulated more than 75 million flying hours.

3. TotalCare agreements, tailored for individual operators, offer a range of services extending to aspects of support such as latest predictive maintenance, asset and logistics management, as well as repair and overhaul. Under such long-term contracts, Rolls-Royce assumes full responsibility for engine maintenance in return for an agreed financial rate per flying hour.

4. Rolls-Royce already enjoys a close relationship with Qatar. Six of the latest-standard Rolls-Royce industrial Trent 60 engines, developed from the highly successful Trent aero engine, are being installed at the heart of the Dolphin project, a unique initiative designed to supply large quantities of natural gas through a 400-kilometre pipeline from Qatar's North Field to the UAE. The gas will fire power generation and water desalinisation plants for at least the next 25 years.

5. Qatar Airways is one of only five airlines in the world with a Five Star ranking for service and excellence awarded by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency. Skytrax also named Qatar Airways' cabin crew as Best in the Middle East for the fourth year running in 2006 and second best worldwide following a survey of more than 12 million passengers.

6. Averaging 35 per cent growth year on year, Qatar Airways carried more than 8 million passengers during the 2006/07 financial year. The airline operates an all-Airbus fleet of 58 aircraft flying to 75 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Far East and Indian subcontinent from its hub in Doha, capital of the State of Qatar.

For further information:

Annalie Bown
Communications Manager - Civil Aerospace
Rolls-Royce plc
Tel: +44 (0)7966 878 229
Fax: +44 (0)1332 265940

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