Rolls-Royce to Upgrade Jet Engines After Withering Criticism
Reliability is particularly important for carriers in the Middle East, who run their aircraft in hot and demanding conditions, putting more strain on their planes.
Photographer: Christopher Pike/BloombergRolls-Royce Holdings Plc is investing more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) to upgrade the engines that power large commercial aircraft, seeking to improve their performance and durability after drawing criticism from a key customer.
The UK engine maker is working on stage-wise improvements that lift the durability of the XWB engine powering the Airbus SE A350-1000 jet. The upgrades are targeted particularly at sandy and hot climates such as the Middle East so that engines need less frequent servicing, according to Simon Burr, the company’s group director of engineering, technology and safety.