China Southern Airlines has signed a 600-million-U.S. dollar deal with Rolls-Royce on purchasing engines for its 10 Airbus A330 passenger planes, the China Business News reported on Friday.

The two sides also signed a 10-year maintenance contract for the airplanes, which were bought by the Guangdong-based Southern Airlines last September.

The 10 planes, due to be delivered to the airline over the next two years, will be put into operation on the airline's main domestic and regional air routes.

Rolls-Royce did not reveal the value of the 10-year maintenance contract.

The move follows the airline's 600 million U.S. dollars deal last December to assemble five Airbus A380 passenger planes, the report said.

An official of the airline said the company will fund the deals through loans.

Rolls-Royce CEO John Rose disclosed in an earlier interview with the newspaper that half of the company's sales income will come from offering after-sale services.

Currently, the airline operates four Airbus A330 planes powered by engines provided by Rolls-Royce.

Source: Xinhua