Rolls-Royce has secured its first customer for the Trent 1700 engine that will power the Airbus A350, with Finnair selecting the powerplant for the nine A350-900s it ordered last year for delivery from 2012. The airline also has options on four A350s. Last October R-R announced plans to develop the new engine to compete with the General Electric GEnx on the A350. The UK manufacturer expects final engine configuration and selection of the technologies for the Trent 1700 by the end of next year. First flight on the A350 is due in 2010 with first customer deliveries in the middle of 2011.