A Trent 7000 engine, with nacelle removed, on the wing of an A330neo
Photo by: Airbus
UK-based global major industrial technology group Rolls-Royce and Uganda Airlines have signed a TotalCare service agreement for the Trent 7000 engines that power the Ugandan flag carrier’s new Airbus A330neo widebody airliners. (The suffix -neo stands for new engine option.) Uganda Airlines has received the two A330neos it ordered, one each in December and January.
“We are proud to include our new Rolls-Royce powered Airbus A330neos into our fleet and this agreement will ensure that our Trent 7000 engines will be maintained to world-leading levels of service,” affirmed Uganda Airlines CEO Cornwell Muleya. “Our TotalCare agreement will ensure Uganda Airlines, the latest member of the family of Trent operators, receives our flagship standard of service, maximising aircraft availability and the ability to plan forward financially,” stated Rolls-Royce senior VP customers John Kelly.
“TotalCare offers more than just an engine maintenance plan; it is a service concept based upon predictability and reliability,” explained Rolls-Royce in its statement. “This agreement will give Uganda Airlines a secured cost of operating and maintaining their Trent 7000 engines, through a dollar-per-flying-hour payment mechanism, as well as enhanced aircraft availability as a result of our in-depth engine knowledge that only we can provide, drawing on advanced engine health monitoring and the inclusion of product durability and reliability improvements.”
The Trent 7000 has a thrust of 302.5 kN to 320.3 kN and provides the A330neo, for which it is the exclusive engine, with a fuel burn per seat that is 25% less than that of previous generation competitor airliners. This reduces environmental impact, and the Trent 7000 is also significantly quieter than previous generation engines.
The Trent engine family recently celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary and over this period the members of the family have totalled more than 150-million engine flying hours. The Trent 7000 is the seventh member of the family and entered into service in November 2018. It was developed using the experience derived from the Trent 700, which powered the original Airbus A330 and which has accumulated more than 50-million engine flying hours.
The current Uganda Airlines is a revival of the original Uganda Airlines and started operating in 2019. The original Uganda Airlines operated from 1977 to 2001. In addition to its two A330neos, the modern iteration of the airline also operates four Bombardier CRJ900ER regional jets. (Following Bombardier’s disposal of its commercial jet business last year, responsibility for supporting all its regional jets, including the CRJ900, now lies with Mitsubishi.)