Thai To Expand Rolls-Royce Engine Maintenance

Thai Airways and Rolls-Royce have signed an agreement to expand the airline’s maintenance business for Rolls’ Trent aero engines.

The two companies will explore how they can expand Thai’s existing Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities for Trent 700 and Trent 1000 engines, the companies said in a joint statement.

The airline’s acting president Usanee Sangsingkeo said Thai has the capability to expand its engine maintenance services for Trent engines to meet the needs of the regional market.

The new agreement will allow the airline to make “sufficient use of the maintenance facilities and further develop a joint business venture together. This collaboration will also increase revenue earned from third-party customers,” Sangsingkeo said.

The latest agreement follows on from one signed earlier in the year to use Thai’s engine testing facilities at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport to support the Trent XWB engine for the Airbus A350.

Pointing to the 50 year partnership between the two companies, Rolls’ civil aerospace president Chris Cholerton said the collaboration “makes good business sense and provides the foundation for engineering skills development in alignment with the Thai government’s commitment to develop the aviation industry.”

Thai Airways operates around 80 wide-body aircraft, with over 50 of them powered by Rolls-Royce engines.