Rolls-Royce is more than doubling the scheduled maintenance intervals for its Trent 1000 engines through the introduction of two comprehensive durability enhancement packages. The company announced on Thursday that these upgrades are now available for retrofit at maintenance centers worldwide, having been integrated into new Trent 1000 engines installed on Boeing 787 widebody aircraft since January.
The initiative marks a significant effort by Rolls-Royce, responding to concerns from Dreamliner operators such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, who have experienced service disruptions linked to engine maintenance. The precise maintenance intervals vary widely depending on the individual operator’s flight profile.
The upgraded components, which extend time-on-wing, have been in use since 2022 on the Trent 7000 engine powering Airbus A330neo aircraft. In some cases, these enhancements have tripled maintenance intervals. Rolls-Royce is investing £1 billion ($1.3 billion) into the durability program, which also covers Trent XWB-84 and XWB-97 engines used on the A350. The company aims to boost its average time-on-wing improvement from 40% across its fleets to 80% by 2027.
The first phase of the program includes a 40% increase in cooling capacity for the Trent 1000’s new high-pressure turbine blades. It also introduces updates to the combustion system, fuel spray nozzles, and engine electronic controller software.
Phase two is currently undergoing testing at Rolls-Royce’s Derby facility in the UK and is expected to deliver an additional 30% improvement in time-on-wing once it enters service in early 2026. This phase features advanced coatings on combustor tiles designed to prevent damage in harsh environments, enhanced cooling and coatings for high-pressure nozzle guide vanes, weight reduction and improved coatings on high-pressure blades, and a redesigned combustor-to-turbine interface inspired by the latest Trent XWB-84 EP engine.
These durability enhancements promise to significantly reduce downtime and maintenance costs for operators, reinforcing Rolls-Royce’s commitment to reliability and performance in the competitive widebody aircraft engine market.