RYCEY Rolls Royce Holdings PLC (PK)

By Robert Wall

Emirates Airline President Tim Clark on Wednesday said the carrier will take its first Airbus A380 super-jumbo jetliner powered by Rolls-Royce engines this month after getting the British manufacturer to address "technical issues" with the equipment.

Mr. Clark last month said he was concerned about the Trent 900 made by Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC, one of two engine options Airbus Group SE has on the A380. A joint venture of General Electric Co. and United Technologies Corp. builds the other engine.

Emirates, the world's largest international airline by traffic, was due to receive the first of the Rolls-powered double-deckers Dec. 2. The planes are now due Dec. 16, Mr. Clark said.

"We have come to a satisfactory conclusion" with Rolls, Mr. Clark told reporters. He wouldn't divulge details of the agreement beyond saying Rolls-Royce had addressed the issue through a mix of technical and commercial actions.

London-based Rolls-Royce had no immediate comment.

Emirates Airline is the biggest buyer of the world's largest passenger planes, including the A380. The airline initially had bought A380s with engines from the U.S. joint venture. Last year, the airline signed a $9.2 billion contract with Rolls-Royce to power 50 A380s in a landmark deal. It is unusual for airlines to operate long-haul planes with a mix of engine types.

Separately, Mr. Clark has said odds were against Airbus upgrading the A380 with new engines. Mr. Clark has championed the upgrade.

Airbus has previously said it was focused, for now, on making the plane more efficient through other means, such as adding more seats.

Mr. Clark said that in the absence of Airbus upgrading the A380, Emirates may eventually exercise an option for more Boeing 777X long-range planes.

Emirates is already the largest customer for the plane, not due to enter service until around the start of the next decade. Emirates Airline has ordered 150 of the Boeing jets.

Write to Robert Wall at robert.wall@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 07, 2016 10:38 ET (15:38 GMT)

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