From next year, Rolls-Royce expects growth to return to the 5% per annum rate seen before 11 September, says Mike Terrett, president civil aerospace.
So far business this year has worked out as expected under its revised budgets in a depressed market with deliveries 30% down compared with 2001.
Rolls-Royce will deliver around 900 civil engines this year – it delivered 1,362 last year – and anticipates a similar number or slightly more in 2003, says Terrett. Its civil aerospace revenues total $3.4 billion per year.
He believes the manufacturer can emerge strongly from the crisis because it is developing a constant stream of new products that will position it well when business does picks up. For instance, it has 400 Trent 500s on order for the Airbus A340-500/-600 family.
As the A340-600 – seen at the show in the colours of Airbus and launch customer Virgin Atlantic – enters service this year, Rolls–Royce will deliver 50 Trent 500s, rising to 120 engine deliveries by 2004. "This is a slower rate than we were planning, but it is still a very successful engine," says Terrett
Source: Flight Daily News
