Rolls-Royces wins US$1.5-bln order from Air China.

Nov. 17, 2009 (China Knowledge) – U.K.-based jet engine maker Rolls-Royce said on Saturday that it has won a US$1.5-billion order for Trent 700 engines to power Airbus A330 aircraft for Air China Ltd<601111><0753>, the country’s flag airline.

The 20 aircraft will be delivered to Air China from 2011, and the Chinese carrier’s Rolls-Royce powered A330 fleet will be added to a total of 43, the company said in a statement.

The Trent 700 has now been selected 14 times by nine customers to power a total of 178 A330s in service or on order, said the statement.

The company said the technology offers Air China many advantages, such as the ability to maximize capacity at hot and high altitude airports, minimize fuel costs and benefit from the Rolls-Royce TotalCareâ comprehensive long-term support package.

Air China said on Friday that its passenger volume in October increased 14.3% from a year earlier to 3.71 million.