Rolls-Royce has won an order from Saudi Arabian Airlines, worth up to $500m, to provide engines and TotalCare support for four Airbus A330 aircraft already announced and four options.

These aircraft, which are due to enter service from 2013, will be in addition to Saudi Arabian Airlines’ existing fleet of eight Trent 700 powered
Airbus A330s, and will bring the total of Trent 700 powered A330s in the fleet to sixteen.

Khaled Al-Molhem, Saudi Arabian Airlines director general said: “Our first Trent 700 powered A330 went into service in May last year and, since then it has performed flawlessly.

“We have confidence that Rolls-Royce technology and support services are the right choice for our continued growth.”

The Trent 700, the only engine designed specifically for the A330 aircraft, has won more than 75 per cent of orders in the last three years and over 1,400 Trent 700 engines are now in service or on order.

Eight out of 11 operators in the Middle East have selected the Trent 700 and all Trent engines in service in the Middle East are covered by TotalCare long term service support.

Phil Harris, Rolls-Royce, senior vice president – civil aerospace, said: “The Trent 700 is a market leader and in the Middle East it is the engine of choice for eight out of the 11 operators of the Airbus A330, powering three quarters of the aircraft in service.

“We are proud that our valued customer, Saudi Arabian Airlines has again put its trust in our world leading technology and aftermarket support.”