Cebu Pacific

Philippines airline Cebu Pacific has signed a $280m deal with Rolls-Royce to provide long-term TotalCare service support to eight A330 aircraft fleet equipped with Trent 700 engines.

The low-cost carrier will operate the fleet with Trent engines for long-haul operations in the second half of 2013.

Cebu Pacific president and chief executive Lance Gokongwei said: "The A330s will enable Cebu Pacific to launch long-haul operations to destinations where large Filipino populations reside, such as Europe, the Middle East, Oceania and the United States."

"The fleet’s Trent 700s and TotalCare service support will therefore be important strategic enablers for the expansion of our business," Gokongwei said.

Trent 700 engines offer a thrust of 72,000lb, generating better take-off performance. The engine was designed for growth capability of the A330 and incorporates materials capable pressures and temperatures for 75,000lb.

It features a 2nd generation wide chord fan blade which is diffusion bonded and super-plastically formed, offering protection from foreign object damage whilst also reducing noise.

Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace senior vice president Bruce Blythe said: "We are pleased to welcome Cebu to the growing family of Trent operators and look forward to supporting the airline in the next phase of its growth."

The delivery of the aircraft is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2013 and will be configured in a single class layout, seating just over 400 passengers.

Cebu Pacific currently operates a fleet of ten A319s and 19 A320s on its current domestic and regional network and has also placed orders for 23 A320s and 30 A321 neo aircraft for future delivery.

 

Image: Cebu Pacific will take the delivery of A330 aircraft in the third quarter of 2013. Photo: Airbus.