Kingfisher Airlines places First Indian Order for Rolls-Royce Trent

India’s Kingfisher Airlines has become the latest customer for the Rolls-Royce Trent engine series following its order for five A340-500 airliners. The deal, which includes a long-term TotalCare maintenance agreement, is valued at around $500 million.

The ultra long-range four-engined jets are powered exclusively by Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines.

Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman and Managing Director of Kingfisher, said, “I’m delighted to mark the beginning of our partnership with Rolls-Royce with a selection which sees Kingfisher become the first airline in India to purchase Trent engines.

“The Trent family has an outstanding pedigree which combines latest technologies with reliability and excellent operating efficiency. We are confident that the combination of Airbus and Rolls-Royce will allow us to extend our world class levels of service to Kingfisher’s customers.”

The Trent 500 entered service in 2002. A total of 15 customers have placed firm orders for over 130 aircraft. A 53,000lb thrust version of the engine powers the A340-500, while the higher capacity A340-600 utilises a 56,000lb thrust variant.

Over 70% of Trent operators have opted for TotalCare agreements for fleet support. TotalCare contracts offer a wide range of aftermarket services and are based on an agreed dollar rate per flying hour.

Kingfisher’s fleet also includes A320 series aircraft for which it selected the V2500 engine produced by the International Aero Engines consortium, in which Rolls-Royce is a leading shareholder.

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