UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Pham Ngoc Minh, president and CEO of Vietnam Airlines in a visit to the A350 aircraft of Vietnam Airlines. — Photo VNA

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — British group Rolls-Royce has won a US$580 million TotalCare long-term engine support contract from Vietnam Airlines for Trent XWB engines that will power its 14 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.

The contract, signed in Ha Noi in the presence of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who was visiting the country as part of a trade mission to Southeast Asia, comes just weeks after Vietnam Airlines became only the second airline in the world to fly the Airbus A350 XWB.

More than 1,500 Trent XWB engines have already been sold to 40 customers.

Cameron said: "Rolls-Royce is the pinnacle of UK manufacturing excellence, exporting to fast-growing markets across Asia. I'm delighted that they are announcing this contract with Vietnam Airlines."

Pham Ngoc Minh, president and CEO of Vietnam Airlines, said as one of the first operators of the A350 XWB, the carrier looks forward to providing passengers with outstanding service using state-of-the-art engines.

"This agreement will ensure we maximise the availability of these aircraft for service and enable us to become one of the leading airlines in South East Asia," said Minh. — VNS