Rolls-Royce Supports Women in Aviation

CHANTILLY, Va., March 11 -- Rolls-Royce is pleased to support and participate in the Women In Aviation Conference taking place in Dallas, TX, March 10-12, 2005. Rolls-Royce co-sponsored the opening reception with Northwest Airlines and is exhibiting at the conference. This is the third year that Rolls-Royce has supported Women in Aviation.

"We are delighted to support this growing sector of the aviation industry," said Amos Hewitt, Director for Diversity and Employment Practices for Rolls-Royce in North America. "Rolls-Royce is a global company and we want our workplaces to reflect that. We are increasing our outreach here in the US and around the world."

The 2005 Annual International Women in Aviation Conference is expected to attract more than 2,000 attendees all focusing on the conference theme: Achieving Individual and Industry Success Through Strategic Alliances.

Women in Aviation, International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the encouragement and advancement of women in all aviation career fields and interests. Its 7,000+ membership includes astronauts, corporate pilots, maintenance technicians, air traffic controllers, business owners, educators, journalists, flight attendants, high school and university students, air show performers, airport managers and many others.

Rolls-Royce operates in four global markets -- civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy. It is investing in technology and capability that can be exploited in each of these sectors to create a competitive range of products.

The success of these products is demonstrated by the company's rapid and substantial gains in market share over recent years. The company now has a total of 54,000 gas turbines in service worldwide. The investments in product, capability and infrastructure to gain this market position create high barriers to entry.

Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces and more than 2,000 marine customers, including 70 navies. The company has energy customers in nearly 120 countries. Rolls-Royce employs around 35,000 people, of which 21,000 are in the UK. Forty per cent of its employees are based outside the UK -- including 5,000 in the rest of Europe and 8,000 in North America.

The large installed base of engines generates demand for the provision of services. A key element of the company's strategy is to maximize services revenues, which have increased by 60 per cent over the past five years, by the provision of a comprehensive portfolio of services.

Annual sales total nearly 6 billion pounds Sterling, of which 55 per cent are services revenues. The order book is more than 21 billion pounds, which, together with demand for services, provides visibility as to future activity levels.