Once again I find myself reading a headline (Flight International, 25 June-1 July) stating Boeing's rejection of a Rolls-Royce engine, this time the Trent 600 on the Boeing-747-400XQLR.
It astonishes me that Boeing will not place a Trent product on an aircraft despite customer requests.
If only one airline had made such a request, then possibly the business case would not be viable, but in this case it is a major prospective customer.
Is this sort of "customer service" really working for Boeing? Such a decision could leave the manufacturer with as many orders for its 747-400XQLR as for its 777-200LR/300ER, which many airlines also wanted with Rolls-Royce powerplants.
Richard Connelly
Loughborough, UK
Source: Flight International
