Rolls-Royce has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for TotalCare Flex agreements with AerCap and South African Airways.

The agreements mark a new milestone for TotalCare Flex, designed for owners and operators of mature engines and are the first to be signed with a lessor/airline combination.
Rolls-Royce will support Trent 500 engines for three AerCap Airbus A340s operated by South African Airways.

The new service builds on the success of Rolls-Royce TotalCare, where the business models of the aircraft owner and Rolls-Royce are fully aligned to improve engine reliability, increase time on wing, and maximise the engine services contribution to customer business performance.

TotalCare Flex tailors that service specifically for customers seeking economical management of mature engines. Rolls-Royce has also renewed its focus on the needs of lessors with a revamped and dedicated team for this market.

Dominic Horwood, Rolls-Royce, Chief Customer Officer, Civil Large Engines, said: “We are proud to have a global leader in the lessor market such as AerCap and a respected airline such as South African Airways on board with us for TotalCare Flex. The new service is part of our continued commitment to lead the way in services innovation.”

Marty Olson, AerCap, Head of OEM, said: “We look forward to working with Rolls-Royce on TotalCare Flex to meet the needs of our mature Trent engines.”

South African Airways Chief Financial Officer, Wolf Meyer, said: “We enjoy a good relationship with Rolls-Royce and this innovative and flexible structure will reduce our operating costs which has allowed us to commit to continued operation of our A340 aircraft.”