A £250 MILLION engine order has been added to the bulging order book of aerospace giant Rolls-Royce.

The firm, which employs more than 1,000 at its Barnoldswick plant, has announced the order for Trent, RB211 and V2500 engines from an aircraft leasing company.

The contract is the latest of a series of major order announcements for Rolls-Royce engines, particularly for the Trent which now has an order book standing at more than 1,000 engines.

Commenting on the latest order, managing director John Cheffins said: "It is satisfying to see International Lease Finance Corporation's continuing confidence in Rolls-Royce engines."

The East Lancashire factory manufactures wide chord fan blades and front bearing housings for the RB211, Trent and V2500 engines.

The Trent engine now has a 40 market share of world sales for new wide-bodied airliners.

Customers currently include Airtours, Delta, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Swissair, TWA and Virgin Atlantic.

More than 80 per cent of Boeing 777 and Airbus A330

aircraft ordered over the past 12 months will be powered by the Trent.

The deal is expected to have further spin-offs for sub- contractors in East Lancashire.

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