ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines has marked a milestone by becoming the first airline to receive an Airbus A350-900 equipped with Rolls-Royce’s newly certified “Enhanced Performance” (EP) variant of the Trent XWB-84 engine.
Certified at the aircraft level in April, the EP engine offers a 1% improvement in specific fuel consumption compared to the baseline model, according to Rolls-Royce. Cirium fleet data confirms Delta took delivery of its first EP-powered A350 on April 30, with a second aircraft expected on June 15.
The engine’s efficiency gains stem from optimized systems engineering rather than groundbreaking new technologies. Andy Ward, Vice-President of Programmes at Rolls-Royce, highlighted that the improvements leverage deep operational insights into how customers utilize the 84,000-pound thrust XWB-84 engine.
Previously exclusive to Singapore Airlines, the EP variant is now available as an optional upgrade for the baseline engine, marking a strategic expansion for Rolls-Royce.
This upgrade is part of a broader £1 billion investment program targeting improvements across Rolls-Royce’s Trent engine family. Among these efforts are planned durability enhancements for the Trent 1000, which powers Boeing 787 aircraft, aimed at doubling engine time-on-wing and addressing longstanding high-pressure turbine blade wear issues that have affected fleet availability.
Regulatory approval for the Trent 1000 durability package is nearing completion with U.S. authorities, according to Alan Newby, Rolls-Royce’s Director for Research and Technology. Additional upgrade packages for both the Trent 1000 and Trent 7000 engines will undergo testing this year, focusing on further high-pressure turbine blade improvements ahead of a 2026 rollout. Newby projects these efforts will yield a 30% increase in engine time-on-wing for A330neo operators.
In parallel, rigorous ground testing continues on the Trent XWB-97 engine, which powers the larger A350-1000 model. This segment represents the largest part of the investment, incorporating redesigned turbine blades, nozzle guide vanes, ceramic matrix composite seals, and combustor refinements. These enhancements aim for a 2028 introduction, specifically to boost durability in hot, sandy environments.
Rolls-Royce is also advancing its ALECSys lean-burn combustor technology, expected to complete flight testing by mid-2025. Tested extensively on a Trent 1000 engine mounted on a 747-200 flying testbed—including cold-weather trials in Alaska—ALECSys improves fuel-air mixing to reduce emissions.
With demonstrated NOx reductions of up to 40%, ALECSys is a cornerstone technology for Rolls-Royce’s next-generation UltraFan engine, slated for service entry in the coming decade.