Rolls ditched as Thai engine supplier in Boeing jet deal

Thai Airways International Pcl has dropped Rolls-Royce as its sole supplier of next-generation widebody engines in favor of General Electric — a blow to the UK company as it tries to improve profitability. Bangkok-based Thai Airways on Wednesday said it was ordering 45 Boeing aircraft, with an unspecified number of options available, powered by engines made by US company GE. Thai Airways’ existing Airbus SE A350 planes and Boeing 787 jets use Rolls-Royce engines. Rolls-Royce was publicly rebuked by Thailand’s flag carrier in November when Thai Airways CEO Chai Eamsiri threatened to take his business elsewhere after Rolls balked at price concession the airline sought. Rolls has also attracted heat from Emirates over the durability of its Trent XWB-97 engines on A350-1000s. The British enginemaker has been on a quest to boost profitability under CEO Tufan Erginbilgic, renegotiating existing contracts and taking a tougher line with customers on new deals. The approach has ruffled some feathers but the Thai order marks one of the first times Rolls has publicly lost out on a deal as a result. <br/>