Rolls-Royce has announced new orders from Oman Air for Trent 700s and from Dubai Petroleum for Avon 200 industrial engines.

Oman Air, the national airline of Oman, has selected Trent 700 engines to power its new fleet of five purchased and two new leased Airbus A330 aircraft. The value of the business, including a TotalCare long-term services agreement, is $460 million at list prices, with deliveries due to begin in 2009.

Dubai Petroleum is upgrading a further six industrial Avon gas generators, following a previous order for four conversions, which have already been shipped back to Dubai. Half of its current Avon fleet operating on platforms in the Fateh offshore gas field will now be to the new Avon 200 standard.

The new Trent-powered aircraft - the first widebody jets to be purchased by Oman Air - will allow the Muscat-based airline to significantly expand its international operations.

Ziad Karim Al-Haremi, chief executive officer of Oman Air, said: “Selection of the Rolls-Royce engine represents the beginning of a new relationship for Oman Air on this important fleet of aircraft. The Trent 700 has significant presence in the Middle East .We consider its performance, reliability and operational flexibility as important factors in the selection of our first widebody engine, and the market leadership of the Trent 700 in the region gave us the comfort that it is the right choice for us.”

The Trent 700 - the global market leader on the A330 with more than 50 per cent share of orders - also has a strong Middle East footprint. It powers 70 per cent of A330 take-offs in the region.

The engine is also the quietest and cleanest option for the aircraft. A programme of continuous improvement, involving the introduction of the latest Trent family technology to the Trent 700, will also ensure increased benefits to customers, such as the lowest fuel burn of any engine on the aircraft, said a statement.

Trent aero engine technology has also been used for the Avon 200 upgrade and is helping to provide the engine with a 10 per cent increase in power, 5.3 per cent better thermal efficiency and reduced carbon dioxide emissions compared with current in-service Avon engines.

Other improvements include reduced fuel burn, extended times between overhaul, up from 30,000 hours to 36,000 hours and a better mechanical design to reduce life-cycle costs, it said.

Work on converting the engines will be carried out by the Rolls Wood Group, a 50/50 joint venture between Rolls-Royce plc and John Wood Group plc, at its Aberdeen facility.

Keith Brady, managing director of the Rolls Wood Group, said: “We are extremely pleased that the work to undertake the conversions is being performed in Aberdeen by Rolls Wood. We have already converted six Avons for operators in Norway, Dubai and Brazil following the successful trials of a development engine on a major gas pipeline in Canada.” - TradeArabia News Service