The British Airways selection of Rolls-Royce engines to power both its new Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s underlines how far the UK jet engine maker has come. The contract could eventually be worth up to $5bn (£2.5bn) to Rolls-Royce.

The Rolls-Royce Trent 900 is one of two rival engines available on the A380 superjumbo. It competes with the GP7000 offered by a joint venture between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney of the US.