The Airbus A330-900 order by Virgin Atlantic will be powered by the Trent 7000 engines from Rolls Royce. Despite the issues with the Trent 1000 on the Boeing 787, Airbus and Virgin Atlantic have confidence in Rolls Royce, which is the exclusive powerplant on the A330neo family.
Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce’s president of civil aerospace, said: “This fleet expansion is another great endorsement of both the A330neo and Trent 7000, our very latest version of the Trent. We are deeply grateful for the trust that Virgin Atlantic has placed in us – soon their entire fleet will be powered by Rolls-Royce.”
Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, said: “A fundamental part of our strategy is collaboration with partners and our announcement today with Airbus and Rolls-Royce, following the launch of our A350-1000 this summer, takes our partnership to the next level.
“The Trent 7000 and the A330-900neo will play a pivotal role in our fleet transformation. We will be proud to operate the youngest, cleanest fleet yet, with an average age of just five years. It also allows us to continue innovating for our customers to create an on-board experience we know they will love.”
