Rolls-Royce deal to deliver engine support to DHL

Rolls-Royce has signed an agreement which will see it maintain the aero engines on a fleet of aircraft operated by DHL Express.

Under the terms of the TotalCare agreement, the engineering giant, which has its civil aerospace division at Sinfin, will look after the Trent 700 engines that currently power eight Airbus A330 freighter aircraft operated by the worldwide operating logistics company.

The agreement will also cover any Trent 700 engines that are added to the DHL fleet in the future.

Rolls-Royce offers its TotalCare packages to both airline operators and cargo carriers.

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The firm said it is more than just an engine maintenance plan – it is a service concept based on “predictability and reliability”.

The TotalCare agreement will give DHL a secured cost of operating and maintaining its Trent 700 engines through a dollar-per-flying-hour payment mechanism.

It will also deliver enhanced aircraft availability thanks to Rolls-Royce’s in-depth engine knowledge, which draws upon the firm’s advanced engine health monitoring and on the 62 million flying hours the Trent 700 has accumulated over more than 25 years of operations.

Hannah March, Rolls-Royce’s vice-president (Customers), said: “We are delighted to be able to continue to support DHL following a successful collaboration on the RB211-535E4.

“This agreement is another great example of providing world-class services to DHL, enabled by the best engine for the A330 freighter, the Trent 700.”

Geoff Kehr, DHL’s senior vice-president of global fleet management, said: “TotalCare gives us the opportunity to maintain our Trent 700 fleet to best-in-class reliability standards by leveraging the scale and reputed Rolls-Royce capability through TotalCare support.

“This frees time and resource so DHL may focus on other fleet maintenance optimisation and operational aspects.”