Rolls-Royce has announced it has dispatched the first production Trent XWB engine for the first production Airbus A350 which is due to enter service later this year with Qatar Airways.
The Trent XWB is specifically designed for and is the exclusive engine available on the A350, and more than 1,600 engines have already sold to 40 airlines and lessors.
The engine was farewelled by employees of Rolls-Royce. “This is an exciting moment for all of us, and marks the first of many Trent XWB deliveries for service Rolls-Royce,” Trent XWB Programme Director Chris Young said in a statement. “When we reach peak production in 2017 we will be delivering a Trent XWB every working day.”
Rolls-Royce says the Trent XWB is 16 per cent more efficient than the first-generation Trent engines that entered service in 1995.