Rolls-Royce to bring forward inspections after engine problems come back to haunt engineer
Rolls-Royce has agreed to inspect its troublesome Trent 1000 engines sooner than planned, after a problem re-emerged in which parts deteriorate faster than expected.
The blue chip manufacturer said it had agreed a new health check regime for the engines with Europe’s aviation regulator (EASA), after Singapore Airlines grounded two jets last week because of the issue.
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High pressure turbine (HPT) blades have deteriorated faster than Rolls-Royce thought they would in the two Boeing 787 planes, which were fitted with Trent 1000 engines, signalling the return of a problem which has dogged the manufacturer since the model came into service in November 2017.
In the intervening 18 months, the firm has been forced to tell airlines the blades would not last as long as previously thought, and is working on a new version to be installed in the engines early next year.
Rolls-Royce’s president of civil aerospace Chris Cholerton said: “We sincerely regret the disruption this accelerated inspection regime will cause and we are doing everything we can to support our customers.
“These inspections will allow us to confirm the health of the Trent 1000 TEN fleet and to improve our understanding of the high pressure turbine blade deterioration that we have seen in a small number of engines.
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“This blade deterioration is a known issue but it is occurring faster than we expected on some engines.”
Rolls has already been forced to set aside £1.5bn to deal with the issue. This morning the firm said its guidance for costs relating to the Trent 1000 this year and next remains unchanged.