Rolls-Royce trent 700 engines worth $700m selected for new Airbus Beluga XL transporter

Rolls-Royce has been selected by Airbus to provide Trent 700 engines and long-term TotalCare engine service support, worth $700m for five new Beluga XL air transporter aircraft.

The aircraft will replace the current Airbus Beluga fleet, which is powered by engines from another provider.

The Beluga XL, based on the A330 design, was launched in November 2014 to address the A350 XWB ramp up and the transport capacity requirements for other programmes. Compared to the current Beluga, the Beluga XL will provide Airbus with an additional 30 per cent air transport capacity.

Bertrand George, Airbus Senior Vice-President, Head of Beluga XL programmes, said: "We look forward to the Trent 700 powering this important development in our air transport strategy. The engine has an excellent record on the A330 and is ideally suited to our requirements for this aircraft."

Simon Carlisle, Rolls-Royce, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Future Programmes – Civil Large Engines, said: "We welcome this decision to select an engine that is the clear market leader on the A330 and offers outstanding performance in terms of fuel burn, reliability, emissions and noise."

The Trent 700 has won more than 60 per cent of new orders over the last three years. The Trent 700 now accounts for 90 per cent of A330 freighters in service and on order.