Why Rolls-Royce could be in line for another multi-billion pound engine deal from Emirates

Derby’s Rolls-Royce is in the running for another huge engine order from airline Emirates.

Earlier this week, the Dubai-based operator penned a purchase agreement for 50 Airbus A350 jets , exclusively powered by Rolls-Royce’s Trent XWB engines.

Now, Emirates has finalised a purchase agreement for 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

There is a choice of two engine suppliers for the Dreamliner - Rolls-Royce, with its Trent 1000 and the more powerful Trent 1000 TEN engines, and General Electric with its GEnx engine.

Emirates is yet to make a decision on which engine it will select - but whoever wins the deal would receive a contract worth billions of pounds.

Boeing's president and chief executive Stan Deal hands Emirates chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum a model of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner at the Dubai Airshow (AP)

If Rolls-Royce were to win the work it would be a welcome vote of confidence for the Trent 1000, which in recent years has been beset by in-service problems, with parts wearing out quicker than expected.

A worker inspecting a Trent 1000 engine (PA)

In a statement, Rolls-Royce said: “We welcome Emirates’ decision and look forward to engaging with them further to understand the next stage of their engine selection process.”

Emirates signed the agreement for the new Dreamliners at the Dubai Airshow, which has been taking place all this week.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates chairman and chief executive, said: “I’m pleased to announce a firm order for 30 Boeing Dreamliners.

“This is an important investment and addition to our future fleet and it reflects Emirates’ continued efforts to provide the best quality air transport services to our customers.

“The 787s will complement our fleet mix by expanding our operational flexibility in terms of capacity, range and deployment.

“Our Boeing fleet is key to our business model to serve international demand for travel to and through our Dubai hub, as we continue to contribute to the UAE’s strategy to become a global destination for business and tourism by providing high quality air connectivity.”

Stan Deal, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said: “We are excited to finalise this important order from one of the world’s leading airlines.

“It is an honour to build on our successful partnership with Emirates and continue to sustain many jobs at Boeing and our supplier partners.”

The business, which has its civil aerospace division at Sinfin, has been investing heavily to come up with a fix which will be fitted to all Dreamliner jets.