Ethiopian Airlines, Rolls-Royce Sign TotalCare Deal for Trent XWB Engines

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Airlines has signed a TotalCare service agreement with Rolls-Royce for Trent XWB-97 engines that will power four new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

The agreement will provide the airline with predictability as well as a known cost for the services and maintenance.

TotalCare service, the UK firm says, is designed to provide operational certainty for customers by transferring time on wing and maintenance cost risk back to Rolls-Royce.

The contract was signed during a visit by the airline’s officials to Rolls-Royce’s Civil Aerospace headquarters in Derby, months after Ethiopian began marking the 50th anniversary of its first flight to the UK in April 1973.

“As we celebrate 50 years of flights to the UK, we continue to look forward to the implementation of this TotalCare agreement for the latest addition to our fleet with the introduction of the modern A350-1000 aircraft,” CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group Mesfin Tasew said.

According to the CEO, Ethiopian has built a “strong relationship” with Rolls-Royce over the years.

“We have experience of using the Rolls-Royce TotalCare service to ensure Trent 1000 and Trent XWB-84 engine availability and reliability,” he said. “We are pleased to extend this service to the Trent XWB-97 model, which powers the A350-1000 aircraft.”

The Trent XWB is described by its maker as the most efficient large aero engine in service today and the Trent XWB-84 already powers 20 Ethiopian Airlines A350-900 aircraft in service.

Rolls-Royce’s Chief Customer Officer Ewen McDonald is also “delighted to sign this long-term service agreement” with Ethiopian for the airline’s Trent XWB-97-powered Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

Ethiopian Airlines has led the way in Africa as the first operator of the A350-900 and will be the first to introduce the A350-1000 in service.

“We look forward to providing a TotalCare service that maximizes performance for both the Trent XWB-84 and Trent XWB-97,” Rolls-Royce’s CCO added.

In addition to powering the A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft, the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 also powers ten Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, all supported by TotalCare.