Rolls-Royce to power Etihad fleet expansion
Rolls-Royce welcomes announcement by Etihad Airways that it will expand its widebody fleet with aircraft powered by Trent 7000 and Trent XWB-97 engines
Dubai. At this week’s Dubai Airshow, the Middle Eastern carrier announced its intention to select 15 Airbus A330 Neo powered by the Trent 7000; seven Airbus A350-1000 powered by the Trent XWB-97; and 10 Airbus A350F freighter variants also powered by the Trent XWB-97.
Rob Watson, President, Civil Aerospace at Rolls-Royce, said: “Our Middle Eastern customers continue to perform strongly on the global stage, and we are investing in our engines and services to match that ambition.
“We’re excited to continue our long-term partnership with Etihad, driven by confidence in the Trent XWB-97, where our investment will double time on wing in Middle East environments from 2028.”
The Trent 7000 is the latest addition to the Rolls-Royce Trent family of engines and exclusively powers the Airbus A330neo. After entering service at the end of 2018, the Trent 7000 has flown more than three million hours, delivering exceptional reliability, sustainable performance and proven versatility.
Rolls-Royce is investing £1 billion across our modern Trent engines to increase their durability by an average of 80%, with a significant portion being delivered in 2025. For the Trent 7000 the time on wing enhancement package has tripled time on wing in some cases, with a further up to 30% to come in 2026.
The Trent XWB-97 has proven its reliability and durability over seven years of service and more than three million engine flying hours. It has received the first two of its three phases of durability enhancements, which are already delivering a 60% increase in time on wing. The third phase, which will enter service in 2028, will total a doubling of time on wing in challenging environments; and provide 50% improvement in benign conditions.
