Engines
Rolls-Royce Finds New Wear Problems with Trent XWB-84
Premature wear on Rolls-Royce XWB-84 engines powering Airbus A350s appears unrelated to the long-standing problems associated with the Trent 1000.
A Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 turbofan hangs from the wing of a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-900. (Photo: Airbus)
A Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 turbofan hangs from the wing of a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-900. (Photo: Airbus)

Rolls-Royce has identified premature wear in the intermediate pressure compressor (IPC) in a “small number” of Trent XWB-84 engines following inspections performed during regular shop visits, the company said Tuesday. Approaching their first scheduled shop visits after four or five years of service on the Airbus A350, none of the engines have experienced any abnormal in-flight operation, said Rolls. However, the company added it would inspect all other Trent XWB-84 engines that have flown a similar number of hours “as a precaution.”