Finnish flag carrier Finnair has chosen Rolls-Royce engines for its new long-haul A350 aircraft it will buy at the start of the next decade, it said in a statement on Monday.
"At list prices, the value of the order is nearly EUR400 million (USD$487 million)," Finnair said, adding it had fixed orders for nine wide-bodied aircraft and options for four more.
The new Airbus A350 aircraft will be fitted with Trent 1700 engines, Finnair said.
Finnair said that the modernization of its fleet was essential for its competitiveness, adding it was a key part of the company's Asian strategy.
"One or two new Asian destinations will be added each year. This year, Nagoya in Japan (June) and Delhi in India (November) will join the route network," Finnair said.
Including these routes, the company's network will include 10 destinations in Asia, an increasingly important market for Finnair.
In addition to the A350s, Finnair will this spring buy A340 long-haul aircraft with engines made by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric and Snecma, a unit of France's Safran.
