Rolls-Royce and Mubadala development company confirm partnership in Abu Dhabi aerospace hub

Rolls-Royce and Mubadala Development Company, the Abu Dhabi-based investment and development organisation, have announced further details of a new Approved Maintenance Centre (AMC) in the Emirate and confirmed plans for a manufacturing facility that will produce aero engine components. Rolls-Royce is committed to developing a competitive, capable and flexible Trent Service Network to support the growing number of Trent engines that will enter service as it increases its installed base to more than 50% of the widebody passenger market. This will be the second AMC in which Rolls-Royce does not hold an equity stake. The first, Delta TechOps, was announced in October 2015. Mubadala will create a purpose-built facility that will carry out work on the Trent XWB engine, that powers the Airbus A350 XWB. The Middle East region is forecast to have one of the world’s largest concentrations of Trent XWB engines with more than 20% of the 1,600 sold to date due to be operated by airlines in the region, including the 62 A350s to be operated by Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways. Rolls-Royce is also creating a world-class, competitive global supply chain within growth regions and key strategic markets, which gives Rolls-Royce the flexibility it requires as it increases engine production. To support those developments, Mubadala will open a new manufacturing centre that will deliver parts for the Trent engine family, including the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB. This new manufacturing centre will complement the existing disc manufacturing investment that Rolls-Royce has previously made in Washington, UK and Crosspointe, US. The announcement, made at the Farnborough Airshow, follows the Strategic Framework Agreement signed at the Dubai Airshow in November 2013 to establish the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as a key member of Rolls-Royce’s global network for maintenance and manufacturing.