Thai selects Rolls-Royce Trent 700s for A330 fleet

Rolls-Royce announced that Thai Airways International has selected the Trent 700 to power a new fleet of eight Airbus A330-300s, in a deal worth around $300 mln at engine list prices. The aircraft are due to be delivered from 2009 onwards.

In addition, the engines will be covered by a 10 year TotalCare long term services agreement, based on an agreed dollar fee per engine flying hour.

Thai was the launch customer for the Trent 800 on both the -200 and -300 versions of the Boeing 777 and has 20 aircraft in its fleet, which now also includes the Trent-powered -200ER version. The airline also operates the Trent 500, supported by TotalCare, on 10 Airbus A340-500 and -600s.

The Trent 700 is the only engine on the A330 that has been specifically designed for the aircraft, resulting in better performance, reliability and maintenance costs. It is the market leader on the A330 with a 50% share of firm orders.

It is also the quietest and cleanest option on the A330, with the greatest margin to CAEP 4 legislation. A programme of continuous improvement, involving the introduction of the latest Trent family technology to the Trent 700, will ensure increased benefits to customers, such as the lowest fuel burn of any engine on the aircraft.
Rolls-Royce also powers several aircraft types in the Royal Thai Armed Forces and provides equipment to the Thai naval fleet.