AirAsiaX goes for Rolls-Royce engines

PARIS: Fly Asian Xpress Sdn Bhd's (FAX) fleet of A330-300s will be taking to the skies, powered by Rolls-Royce engines, when its low-cost long-haul airline, AirAsiaX, takes delivery of the Airbus aircraft starting September next year. 

The sister company of AirAsia Bhd decided to go with Rolls-Royce as its engine partner only on Sunday, just a day ahead of the Paris Air Show, which began on Monday, AirAsia CEO and FAX director Datuk Tony Fernandes said. 

The US$1.3bil deal involving the purchase of 34 Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, including spares and a 20-year maintenance contract, was signed here on Tuesday in the presence of Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy. 

Fernandes said AirAsiaX opted for Rolls-Royce because it saw the “fierce determination and passion'' in the company's key people and also for its belief in the low-cost airline, which he added was something “money can't buy.'' 

Tony Fernandes

“The economics of the engine are also fantastic. Rolls-Royce really put its money where its mouth is,'' he told journalists after the signing of the purchase agreement with Rolls-Royce. 

Rolls-Royce plc chairman Sir John Rose said the Trent 700 was specifically made for the A330-300, and that the engine commanded the largest share of 45% in the A330 market, with its biggest share being in Asia. The engine was proven to be the most powerful for the A330, he said, adding that Rolls-Royce would continue to sustain efforts to keep improving it. 

Hours earlier, FAX chairman Datuk Kalimullah Hassan signed an agreement with Airbus for 15 A330-300s worth US$2.6bil, with the option of purchasing 10 more.  

Previously, AirAsiaX had ordered 10 aircraft, with the option of purchasing five more. 

Fernandes said with Rolls-Royce engines on the A330, AirAsiaX was able to create a new product that would revolutionise flying and make the world a smaller place. 

He said the target was for AirAsiaX to have a fleet of 25 A330-300s in five years and carrying 10 million passengers a year.  

This combination would also help bring down fares by as much as 60%, he said, citing as an example the return fare between London’s Stansted airport and Kuala Lumpur could be as low as US$300. 

On the airline's destinations, Fernandes said these had been narrowed down to Europe, China and Australia, with possible technical stops in the Middle East. 

AirAsiaX will begin operation in September on a leased aircraft.  

The new A330s will be delivered from September next year up to 2013. Fernandes said there would be about 400 seats on the A330, which would set a new benchmark for seat cost per km, bringing it down further to 1.9 sen, the lowest in the market.  

From left: Datuk Tony Fernandes, Datuk Kallimulah Hassan, Sir John Rose and Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy – Bernama

He also expressed interest in the new A350, now being developed, adding that the new engine technology would allow AirAsiaX to fly direct at even lower cost per seat km. 

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