SP's ShowNews (SP's): What's the significance of participating in WINGS India 2018?

Ewen McDonald (McDonald): We are excited by the wonderful opportunities presented by the world's fastest growing aviation market and are keen to play a significant role. Wings India 2018, the premier civil aviation event in the country gives us an opportunity to meet potential customers and key stakeholders and showcase our more efficient, reliable and cleaner portfolio of products and solutions. In line with our vision to pioneer the power that matters to our customers, we're showcasing our cleaner and more fuel-efficient range of Trent aero engines – including the Trent 1000, Trent XWB and Trent 7000, which power leading widebody aircraft and are ideal to support the ever-increasing passenger volumes in India's aviation sector.

SP's: What are your views on India's growing aviation market?

McDonald: India is the 3rd largest and the fastest growing domestic aviation market in the world witnessing phenomenal growth in passenger traffic and this is expected to continue. To address the increased growth in passenger traffic, many Indian airlines are embarking on ambitious fleet expansion plans and seeking to induct widebody aircraft. This presents us with tremendous opportunities to play a significant role in India's aviation sector. With our technology leadership and our determination to pioneer the power that matters to our customers, we are well-positioned to support India's civil aviation growth with more efficient, reliable & cleaner portfolio of products and solutions.

SP's: What are the main advantages of deploying widebodies to manage India's growing air traffic?

McDonald: For an industry that is as competitive as aviation, there is an ever-increasing focus by airline companies on improving operational efficiency. Deploying widebody aircraft can lead to higher market share, load factors and revenues for airlines. On domestic routes, widebody aircraft prove to be a high-yield option for airlines, providing carriers more revenue per available seat mile. Improved fuel-efficiency not only reduces costs for airlines, and thus passengers, but it also contributes significantly to reducing the aerospace industry's environmental footprint.

Furthermore, widebodies provide a significant advantage at airports with restricted infrastructure, enabling airlines to carry more passengers to airports with limited slots. Airlines can also take advantage of their widebodies to free up a substantial amount of narrowbody fleets which can be used on newly opened regional routes. Additionally, widebody aircraft offer airlines the opportunity to offer the highest standards of passenger comfort and an optimal experience through better value-added services and more deck space for airlines to implement in-cabin features – something that is becoming a deciding factor in passengers' airline choices.

SP's: What benefits do Rolls-Royces' Trent engines bring to the market?

McDonald: One of the top challenges for today's aviation sector is to move towards more efficient products and solutions so that our customers can provide a cleaner, more efficient and reliable experience to travellers. Our Trent engines powering leading widebody aircraft are much more fuel-efficient, cleaner and quieter, allowing airlines to improve operational efficiency.

With a strong track record of delivering outstanding performance and reliability, we believe our Trent engines are the ideal choice to meet the requirements of India's ever-increasing passenger volumes.

Trent 7000:

• The Trent 7000 is not only 6dB quieter than the 700 model; it also features a 10% specific fuel consumption improvement.
• The engine delivers revenue benefits on even the toughest routes, thanks to its high thrust.

Trent 1000:

• The latest version of the Trent 1000 incorporates technologies from the Trent XWB and Advance engine programmes contributing to the Dreamliner achieving a 20 per cent greater efficiency than the aircraft it replaces, as well as having half the noise footprint of previousgeneration aircraft.
• The engine incorporates new technologies to deliver increased thrust for the aircraft.

Trent XWB:

• The Trent XWB is world's most efficient large aero engine flying today, and includes advanced materials and the latest fan system technology.
• It balances fuel efficiency and life cycle costs while delivering weight savings and improved aerodynamics.
• The Trent XWB is also the fastest selling widebody jet engine ever, with over 1,700 engines ordered by 45 customers.