Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has selected International Aero Engines (IAE) to power six A321 aircraft, becoming the launch customer for IAE's new V2500 SelectTwo engine.

These extended-range Airbus platforms will be delivered in 2012, marking Gulf Air's initial application of V2500 engines into its fleet.

"We are pleased to be selected to provide Gulf Air with not only their first V2500 power-plants, but as the first customer to order our new SelectTwo offering," IAE president Ian Aitken said.

"I am confident they made the right decision based on performance, reliability and maintainability that the V2500 SelectTwo will provide for their fleet."

The value of the contract is about $180 million.

"The competitive fleet hourly offering from IAE and fuel burn advantage were key characteristics that assured us that the V2500 was the right engine for us," Gulf Air chief executive officer Samer Majali said.

"Superb technology and world-class reliability were also important factors in our decision," he added.

He said the qualities brought by SelectTwo will enable the airline to more easily focus on developing a profitable regional route structure and optimise its network.-TradeArabia News Service