While Qantas grounded its Airbus A380s because of problems with its Rolls Royce engines, the engine pictured above, which is featured at the AVEX International Air Show and is manufactured by a joint venture between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, is the other option available to airlines when they place their orders for the jumbo jet. It is common practice for airplane manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing to enlist several different companies to design an engine for a new airplane, as the manufacturers want to ensure that engine development will not hold up delivery of the aircraft, as advancements in engine technologies can hit speed bumps, just like any other industry that engages in pioneering thinking. In the end, airlines have several different engines from which to choose, and that decision is generally based on performance, efficiency and how well the engine interfaces with the aircraft. Read more on the details of the A380 engines in this piece from the Wall Street Journal.