_800x533_L_1412520412.jpg)
LONDON (Reuters) - British engineering company Rolls-Royce (L:RR) said airline Norwegian (OL:NWC) had selected its engines to power nine Boeing (N:BA) Dreamliner aircraft and signed up for a long-term maintenance and servicing contract worth $440 million (271.77 million pounds).
Rolls-Royce said in a statement on Thursday that Norwegian would use its Trent 1000 engines for nine additional leased 787-9 or Dreamliner aircraft, boosting the engine-maker's order book by $134 million.
Norwegian's fleet expansion brings the total number of its Trent 1000-powered Dreamliners to 17. The new aircraft would be powered by the Trent 1000-TEN, the latest version of the Trent 1000 with improved fuel economics over its lifetime.
"We have been very pleased with the Trent 1000 in-service performance and we look forward in particular to operating the Trent 1000-TEN engine which will set new standards on the aircraft," Tore Jenssen, Norwegian's chief operating officer, said.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Kate Holton)