Rolls-Royce and American Airlines yesterday celebrated a million hours of Trent 800 engine operations on the carrier's Boeing 777 fleet.
The milestone was marked at Le Bourget with the presentation of an inscribed Trent 800 fan blade by Mark King, Rolls-Royce executive vice-president, customer business to James Beer, vice-president Europe for American Airlines.
American Airlines currently operates 44 Trent 800-powered Boeing 777s on transatlantic, transpacific and South American routes, having begun operations with the type in 1999. The next aircraft is due for delivery later this month and a further nine are scheduled to join the fleet between 2006 and 2010.
Beer says: "The Trent and Boeing 777 is a popular combination with American Airlines' customers and flightcrew.
"It is established as one of the mainstays of our modern fleet and we continue to be impressed by the efficiency and reliability of the operation."
Recognising the strong Rolls-Royce links with American Airlines which, together with its subsidiary American Eagle, operates more than 370 Rolls-Royce powered aircraft, King says: "A million hours of safe and reliable flying with the Trent 800 is an appropriate moment to pay tribute to the significant role the employees of American Airlines have played in this achievement."
In addition to its Trent operation, American Airlines has a fleet of 124 Boeing 757s powered by Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4s, and 58 Tay-powered Fokker 100 series aircraft. Maintenance of all three engine types is carried out at Texas Aero Engine Services (TAESL), Fort Worth, a joint venture between American Airlines and Rolls-Royce.
American Eagle also currently flies 136 Embraer regional jets exclusively powered by the Rolls-Royce AE 3007.
Source: Flight Daily News
