Rolls-Royce today joined Airbus and Qatar Airways in celebrating delivery of the first Airbus A350 XWB to enter service, powered by Trent XWB engines.
His Excellency, Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways, Group Chief Executive Officer, Fabrice Brégier, Airbus, President and Chief Executive, and Tony Wood, Rolls-Royce, President - Aerospace, attended a formal aircraft handover ceremony at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France.
The Trent XWB, the sole power plant available for the Airbus A350 XWB, is the world's most efficient large civil aero engine. More than 1,500 engines have already been sold to 40 customers and sales of the Trent XWB account for over half of the Rolls-Royce civil aerospace order book. The engine is expected to be in service for many years, creating an annuity of aftermarket services that will generate revenues for decades to come.
The A350 XWB delivers a 25 per cent fuel burn improvement compared to previous generation aircraft. The Trent XWB is also one of the quietest engines that Rolls-Royce has ever produced for the wide-body market.
The engine is the result of years of research and development and advanced engineering of more than 20,000 parts. It has been tested to extremes of performance on the ground and in the air around the world. It is the sixth member the Trent engine family which, along with the RB211, has built a reputation for excellence over four decades.
His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said: "As the global launch customer, we are pleased to take delivery of the first Airbus A350 XWB aircraft today. We look forward to working closely with Rolls-Royce to ensure that we provide our customers with a truly five-star service from day one."
Fabrice Brégier said: "This is a great moment for Airbus and I would like to thank Rolls-Royce for its commitment to deliver these next generation, fuel-efficient and quiet Trent XWB engines that contribute to meeting our customers' expectations for a truly world-class aircraft that represents innovation at its best and destined to shape the future of air travel."
John Rishton, Rolls-Royce, Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are very proud to have worked with Qatar Airways and Airbus to produce the A350 XWB, using the latest technology to deliver new standards in customer service. This is a very important day for everyone at Rolls-Royce. It is the culmination of years of hard work and the start of a new chapter for our business."
Qatar Airways has ordered 80 A350 XWBs (43 A350-900s and 37 A350-1000s) and is scheduled to take delivery of eight of the aircraft by the end of 2015.
The aircraft will enter daily commercial service with Qatar Airways, flying from Hamad International Airport, Doha, to Frankfurt International Airport, Germany, from January 2015.
Trent XWB - incredible engineering by numbers:
· The front fan is nearly 10ft feet across - its diameter is larger than the fuselage of Concorde
· It sucks in up to 1.3 tonnes of air, the equivalent of a squash court, every second at take-off.
· The force on a fan blade at take-off is equivalent to a load of almost 90 tons, the same as nine London buses hanging off each blade.
· High pressure turbine blades inside the engine rotate at 12,500 rpm, with their tips reaching 1,200mph - twice the speed of sound.
· At take off each of the engine's 68 high pressure turbine blades generates around 900 horsepower per blade - the equivalent to that of a Formula One racing car.
· At full power, air leaves the nozzle at the back of the engine travelling at almost 1000mph.
