Burnley-based Aircelle has won a contract to supply nacelles for the new twin-engine Airbus A330neo aircraft. The components are to equip the A330neo’s Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 turbofan engines. Aircelle, a subsidiary of the French group Safran, previously supplied nacelles for Airbus A380 engines, which are in a similar size category.

The Burnley plant, as well as facilities in La Havre (France) and Casablanca (Morocco), will work on nacelle production, while painting, assembly and delivery will take place at Aircelle’s site in Colomiers, (France), which is located near Airbus’s final assembly line in Toulouse.

Aircelle chairman and chief executive Martin Sion said: “This is another endorsement of our company’s role as a world-leading engine nacelle supplier, and provides an important addition to our product line, which covers everything from business jets and regional passenger aircraft to the largest jet-liners.”

A few days after winning the contract, Aircelle director Darren Ingram said that the UK aerospace supply chain is experiencing “exciting times”. Speaking at a defence and aerospace conference in Liverpool, the company’s supply-chain director said that the increasing popularity of Airbus aircraft provides great opportunities for the UK’s aerospace industry.