UK-based global major propulsion and power systems group Rolls-Royce announced on Thursday the launch of the first of two Durability Enhancement Packages for its Trent 1000 aeroengines. This will increase the time between scheduled maintenance periods for the engine by more than 100%.

“The Trent 1000 is an important engine for us and today marks a new chapter in its story,” highlighted Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic. “When upgraded, we’re confident that our customers and their passengers will benefit from increased durability, thanks to the proven enhancements that have already surpassed our expectations on the Trent 7000. As part of our ongoing transformation, the investment we have made in new technologies will see the Trent 1000 deliver for Boeing, our customers and our investors. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”

The Trent 1000 was designed to power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and is one of two engine options that 787 customers can chose. Trent 1000-powered 787s are operated by African airlines such as Air Austral, Air Tanzania and Ethiopian Airlines. A greater time between scheduled maintenance or, if you prefer, a greater ‘time on wing’, means better asset utilisation, reduced maintenance and greater certainty for airlines in the fleet planning. This results in both reduced costs and increased revenues.

This first Durability Enhancement Package includes a 40% increase in cooling for the new high pressure turbine blade. It also involves an updated combustion system, enhanced fuel spray nozzles and upgraded electronic controller software. It will be retrofitted to existing engines as well as fitted as standard to new engines.

“We know that the same enhancements have already tripled time on wing in some cases for the Trent 7000, so we are confident it will deliver for Trent 1000 customers,” assured Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace president Rob Watson. “To do so at pace, we began installing the enhancements into new engines prior to today’s certification to reduce the lead time as much as possible. They will now enter the fleet immediately.”

The second Durability Enhancement Package will start being delivered from early next year. It will also be fitted to Trent 7000 engines and is expected to increase time on wing by another 30%, across both engine types. This second package involves advanced coatings on combustor tiles in “non-benign environments”, coating and cooling alterations to high pressure nozzle guide vanes, coating improvements to, and weight reduction of, high pressure turbine blades, and a combustor-to-turbine interface that has been redesigned and taken from the latest version of the Trent XWB-84 EP engine.