Rolls-Royce, China Eastern Airlines sign fleet hour agreement

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 ◆ Rolls-Royce, China Eastern Airlines sign fleet hour agreement

British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce said it has signed a 100 million US dollar contract with China Eastern Airlines for a 10-year fleet hour agreement covering the Trent 500 engines powering the airline's new fleet of Airbus A340-600s.

A press release from the world's second largest company said recently that China Eastern Airlines has ordered five of the aircraft, each of which carries up to 380 passengers and has a range of 7,700 miles (about 12,389 km), allowing them to fly transpacific routes such as Shanghai-Los Angeles.

Charles Cuddington, managing director of Rolls-Royce, said: "This is an important milestone," as it signals the first Trent operation in China.

"It also extends a valued relationship with China Eastern Airlines and meets their requirement for fleet support at a predictable and fixed-rate cost," he added.

Fleet hour agreements are part of a broad range of Total Care packages offered by Rolls-Royce.

The menu of options includes sophisticated predictive maintenance tools provided through the Rolls-Royce joint venture, Data Systems & Solutions, the company said.

The release quoted Ye Yigan, chairman of China Eastern Air Group, as saying: "I believe it (the agreement) will assist us to maintain our latest fleet of A340-600s with which we are enlarging our network, and ensure safe and reliable operations."