Lufthansa to make engine choice

PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC

As engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce mount their next A380 campaign - to woo cargo wet-lease specialist Atlas Air

The next round in the battle between Engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce to power the Airbus A380 is set to be decided this month by Lufthansa. Both engine manufacturers are keen to strengthen their respective market share as cargo wet-lease specialist Atlas Air re-emerges as the next likely customer for the ultra-large aircraft.

Lufthansa is set to decide before the end of the month on the powerplant for its planned fleet of 15 A380s - an order second in size only to Emirates'. R-R and the General Electric/Pratt & Whitney joint venture are mounting a campaign to win Atlas, which is dusting off plans to order five A380-800 freighters and a similar number of options, say industry sources.

The competition at Lufthansa is intense, with R-R keen to recover from its setback at Emirates, when the Trent 900's share of announced A380 firm orders fell from 74% to 47%. This will be cut further once FedEx Express confirms its choice of the GP7200 for 10 freighters.

Both engine suppliers acknowledge that the offer of engine overhaul licences will be a key factor in Lufthansa's decision. R-R is offering Lufthansa Technik a share of its Trent 500, 700 and 900 overhaul business following the collapse of an earlier proposed joint venture with SR Technics. The German carrier has also ordered the Trent 500-powered Airbus A340-600 and acknowledges its interest in a partnership with R-R (Flight International, 5-11 March).

The Engine Alliance says that as part of its negotiations with Lufthansa, it is also prepared to offer licences to overhaul the GP7200 engine as part of an enhanced overhaul capability. Its only other airline customer, Air France, was offered a similar deal when it launched the GP7200 on the A380. Other A380 customers still to decide on an engine include Qatar Airways and International Lease Finance.

Source: Flight International