Story ID: 330
Rolls-Royce Underlines Middle East Importance
By: Ian Goold
Caption: Rolls-Royce will use the Dubai Air Show to underline the importance of the region to its Trent engine family, and beyond.
Word Count: 404
Rolls-Royce (RR, Stand 1015), here at Dubai Airshow to promote “forward-looking” technologies, is showing its Trent XWB high-bypass turbofan that powers the Airbus A350 large twin-aisle twinjet. 

RR claims a 92 percent share (about 50 aircraft) of the African twin-aisle market backlog and almost half (45 percent or more than 220 aircraft) of that in the Middle East. The company said that an average of 20 RR-powered aircraft are delivered to the Middle East and Africa each year.

In addition, the manufacturer highlighted the two regions’ “transitioning” market as airlines and lessors transfer ownership of RR-engined aircraft. “We see a significant transitions market, particularly across Africa, from the Trent 700-powered [Airbus] A330.”

With aftermarket service sales increasingly a paramount consideration for all manufacturers and suppliers, RR is looking forward to increasing demand for its CareNetwork overhaul services. The in-service engine fleet will grow from 4,000-plus today to almost 6,500 “in the mid-term—and even further beyond that,” said RR. “Expansion of our global CareNetwork includes the development of an additional network of overhaul bases, in-field maintenance, and repair providers.”

In the Middle East, the engine manufacturer has expanded its global service network with a new independent Trent 700 authorized maintenance center (AMC) at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Under the nine-year, $6.5 billion agreement, Sanad Aerotech (formerly Mubadala Aerospace Turbine Services & Solutions) will offer engine-overhaul and component-repair services to global operators.

Trent 700s power more than 800 Airbus A330s flying with over 80 operators, and the deal illustrates how RR is increasing maintenance capacity through “strategic partnerships with service centers in important regional locations.”

Meanwhile, on the development front, RR says that work is progressing on the UltraFan geared-engine demonstrator that is expected to provide significant reductions in emissions, fuel consumption, and noise. The company reports completion of “successful worldwide tests of key technologies, ready for flight and ground testing in the coming years.”

Construction of Engine Testbed 80, claimed to be the “biggest, smartest testbed in the world,” is underway at Derby, ahead of planned commissioning next year. “Equipped with precision x-ray equipment, state-of-the-art data systems, and the ability to test with sustainable aviation fuel, [it] will allow us to validate and understand engine technology better than ever before,” said the manufacturer.
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