China Southern chooses Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce has won a contract worth US$600 million to power China Southern Airlines' new fleet of five Airbus A380s with Trent 900 engines, the company has announced. China Southern Airlines, one of the country's top three carriers alongside Air China and China Eastern, became the first domestic airline to purchase the A380 aircraft when it ordered five Airbus superjumbos in January. China is forecast to become the world's second-largest commercial aviation market after the US in 20 years time with a 2,800-strong fleet of planes.