France’s national flag carrier has firmed up an order for extra passenger jets exclusively powered by Derby’s Rolls-Royce.
The Air France-KLM Group has confirmed an order for 10 Airbus A350-900 aircraft, all powered by the Trent XWB, which is an engine designed and built at Rolls-Royce’s civil aerospace site in Sinfin.
The deal will bring the total number of A350 jets ordered by the airline to 38. All of the aircraft will be operated by Air France on its transatlantic and Asia routes.
The additional order comes after the airline took delivery of its first A350 at a ceremony at the Toulouse headquarters of Airbus in October.
The A350 has been billed by Airbus as the world’s most efficient all new design wide-body aircraft, offering a 25% reduction in fuel burn and carbon emissions.
To date, the A350 has received 959 firm orders from 51 customers worldwide, making it one of the most successful widebody aircraft ever.
Benjamin Smith, chief executive of Air France-KLM Group, said: “Rationalising and modernising the fleet is central to our effort to regain our leading position in Europe.
“It will strengthen our performance from both an economic and operational standpoint and will help us deliver on our ambitious sustainability agenda.
“Offering a 25% reduction in fuel consumption compared to previous-generation aircraft, the Airbus A350-900 is a jewel of European expertise and a passenger favourite. We are excited to see it become a core asset of the Air France fleet.”
Guillaume Faury, chief executive at Airbus, said: “Ben is leading an impressive transformation at Air France-KLM and we feel honoured that our A350 XWB aircraft have been selected as part of this endeavour.”
