AEROSPACE group Rolls-Royce has won a £502.6m deal to supply jet engines and services to Middle Eastern airline Etihad.

Rolls said Etihad, based in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, had chosen two versions of its Derby-made Trent engine to power new aircraft.

Etihad has chosen the Trent 900 for its fleet of four Airbus A380 superjumbos and the Trent 700 for its 12 A330 twin-jets.

The deal includes long-term engine maintenance agreements.

Rolls employs 360 people at a plant in Sunderland, producing parts for the Trent.

Etihad first ordered Trent engines at last summer's Farnborough Air Show, when it said it was buying the Trent 500 for eight long-distance A340-600 jets.

Last week, the group announced a 14 per cent rise in engine servicing revenues to £3.2bn, which helped lift underlying full-year pre-tax profits by 21 per cent to £345m.