Rolls-Royce secures £340m engine support deal

Contract will support manufacturing in Derby, Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing hub for Trent XWB engines

Rolls-Royce has won a $580 million (£340 million) long-term engine support contract with Vietnam Airlines for Trent XWB engines that will power 14 Airbus A350.

The contract was signed at the government office in Hanoi in the presence of Vietnam’s prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung and UK prime minister David Cameron, who is visiting the country as part of a trade mission to South East Asia.

Cameron said the contract would "support UK manufacturing in Derby, Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing hub for Trent XWB engines”.

Dr Pham Ngoc Minh, president and chief executive of Vietnam Airlines, added: “As one of the first operators of the A350 XWB, we look forward to providing our passengers with outstanding service using state-of-the-art engines.

"This agreement will ensure we maximise the availability of these aircraft for service and enable us to become one of the leading airlines in South East Asia.”

The signing comes just weeks after Vietnam Airlines became the second airline in the world to operate the Airbus A350 XWB.