Bangkok--7 Mar--Hill & Knowlton Thailand Announcement comes on the back of a $2.6 billion order from Virgin Atlantic for Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000 engines Rolls-Royce today announced that it is forming an environmental partnership with Virgin Atlantic to cut carbon emissions. The launch of the joint initiative comes on the back of a $2.6 billion order from the airline for Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines and associated services. The Trent 1000 is the launch engine for all versions of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which enters service in 2009. Virgin Atlantic’s order, which includes a full-life TotalCare? services agreement, is for Trent 1000s to power up to 43 Boeing 787s and consists of 15 firm aircraft plus eight options and a further 20 purchase rights. Virgin Atlantic will take delivery of its first Trent-powered 787 in 2011. The Trent-powered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will burn almost 30% less fuel than previous generation airliners, resulting in an equivalent reduction in carbon emissions per passenger. The environmental initiative between Rolls-Royce and Virgin Atlantic will aim to identify further opportunities to reduce aircraft fuel burn through enhanced engine performance. Actions will be managed within the framework of the TotalCare agreement, under which Rolls-Royce assumes full responsibility for monitoring and maintaining the Trent 1000 fleet. Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, said: “Virgin Atlantic has chosen the cleanest possible engines for its more fuel-efficient future with the 787 Dreamliner. Rolls-Royce engines will help us cut emissions per flight by nearly 30% and become the most sustainable airline in the world. Our new environmental partnership will also bring major benefits to the aviation industry, enabling us to work together on researching and developing the most efficient engines in the sky, and continuously improving the fuel burn of our fleet of aircraft.” Dan Pedley, Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Thailand, commented: “This is a vote of confidence in the Trent family by Virgin Atlantic. Rolls-Royce and Virgin Atlantic share a common agenda to address environmental issues and the new environmental partnership will help speed up research and development into reducing carbon emissions.” “This new order also represents a significant endorsement of our substantial R&D program which focuses on reducing the environmental impact of our products. The combined results of these efforts will no doubt benefit our Asian airline customers who also give a high priority to increasing fuel efficiency and reducing their environmental footprint” added Mr. Pedley. Virgin Atlantic has a strong relationship with Rolls-Royce and currently operates 19 Airbus A340-600s, which are powered exclusively by Trent family engines. Worldwide, 23 companies have placed orders for 700 Trent 1000 engines to power their Boeing 787, resulting in a market share of 42% for Rolls-Royce on the all-new Boeing 787s. For more media information, please contact: Jerome Leroux Account Director Hill & Knowlton Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 2627-3501 ext 102 Email: [email protected]