Rolls-Royce is durable in Egypt

This gains the benefit of the OEM’s engine durability upgrade package which will be available in early 2025.

The carrier currently operates seven 309-seat 787-9s, which are the flagship of its long-haul fleet.

In 2023, Rolls-Royce CEO, Tufan Erginbilgic announced a £1 billion ($1.3 billion) investment to upgrade all its current in-service engines, including a Durability Enhancement package for the Trent 7000 and Trent 1000 TEN.

“The Trent 1000 fleet is demonstrating fantastic in-service performance with over 99.9% dispatch reliability, but the upgrade is aimed at improving the durability of the engine,” said Jason Sutcliffe, Marketing Director, Middle East, Africa & Central Asia of Rolls-Royce.

The upgrades are targeted at the most demanding sandy and hot operating environments, such as those experienced in northern Africa and the Gulf, that have caused issues leading to more frequent than expected engine removals.

“The enhancement package will more than double the time on wing of the Trent 1000 helping drive down the cost of operation for our operators,” said Sutcliffe.

According to Rolls-Royce, the package employs the latest technology in analytics and design methods, specifically in turbine blade cooling design, to optimise turbine component durability against the much higher turbine temperatures needed to deliver the fuel efficiency and durability operators require.

The engine durability upgrade takes place under the Rolls-Royce TotalCare engine maintenance agreement for in-service engines and will be applied to new-build Trents.

A second phase of Trent 1000 improvements sees Rolls-Royce developing a second durability package of ‘hot section’ enhancements from 2026. “These will provide an even greater time on wing improvement, by as much as 30%,” explained Sutcliffe.

EgyptAir will add the Airbus A350 to its longer-range fleet to complement the 787 in a couple of years.

At the Dubai Air Show in late 2023, EgyptAir ordered the Airbus A350-900 to bolster its widebody types as part of an expansion plan to scale up its fleet to 125 aircraft by 2028.

Announcing the Airbus order for 10 A350s plus six options, EgyptAir Holdings chairman and CEO Yehia Zakaria said that the A350-900s will be delivered between 2025-2027. They will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.