Rolls-Royce signs ‘multi-million’ engine deal

Rolls-Royce has moved forward with a deal to power a new fleet of Airbus long-haul jets for Philippine Airlines.

The FTSE-100 firm will provide 18 engines for nine new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft in a deal worth “hundreds of millions of pounds”.

The agreement, once finalised, also includes a maintenance package, meaning Rolls-Royce will continue servicing and monitoring the engines throughout their operational life, officials said.

The government welcomed the deal, saying it would bring “good quality jobs” to the company’s Derby base.

The order was first announced as a memorandum of understanding at the Farnborough International Airshow in July.

At the time, Rob Watson, president of civil airspace at Rolls-Royce, said the company was “proud to continue strengthening our long-standing relationship with Philippine Airlines”.

While the deal is described as being worth “hundreds of millions”, the precise value has not been confirmed.

Airbus designs and manufactures wings for all its commercial aircraft at its Broughton site in North Wales.

Minister for trade Anas Sarwar said: “This news shows British engineering is flying high with world-class innovation that puts our companies at the front of the pack.

“Building these engines and wings brings good quality jobs to Derby and Broughton, and means UK expertise is at the heart of thousands of flights by one of the fastest-growing airlines around the world.”

The engine involved, the Trent XWB-97, can operate using a 50% sustainable aviation fuel blend, with plans for it to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel in the future.

This order follows Philippine Airlines’s previous order for nine Trent XWB-97-powered Airbus A350-1000 in 2023.