Rolls-Royce Trent 900 Powers Airbus A380 on UK Debut

As launch engine for the programme, the Trent 900 is the only powerplant so far to have taken part in flight testing, which currently involves four A380s. Singapore Airlines will be the first customer to operate the aircraft, powered by the Trent 900, with initial deliveries starting later this year.

The Trent 900 is the world’s cleanest large turbofan engine, generating up to 80,000 lbs of thrust at take off. The total power of the A380’s four Trent 900s is equivalent to that of more than 3,500 family cars. The engine’s hollow, titanium fan blades suck in over a ton of air every second. The Trent 900 also meets Heathrow’s QC2 noise level thus being significantly quieter than today’s largest passenger aircraft.

Since the Trent 900 powered the aircraft’s first flight just over one year ago, it has accumulated over 1100 hours of flying experience on the four A380s currently involved in the test programme and also on the first customer aircraft, which made its maiden flight on 7th May. The aircraft powered by Trent 900 engines has completed the majority of its certification flying, including high altitude take-off work in Columbia, cold starts in Northern Canada, as well as flying at all the world’s major air shows.

Mike Terrett, President – Civil Aerospace at Rolls-Royce, said: "From day one the Trent 900 has consistently met, or bettered, its development targets, and continues to do so throughout the flight test programme. Our continued focus is on working with Airbus to ensure a smooth entry into service for the A380 later this year.”

Seven out of the 11 A380 customers who have made engine selections have opted for the Trent 900: Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic, Etihad Airways and China Southern Airlines. With firm and option orders placed for 90 Trent-powered A380s, Rolls-Royce has secured a 54 per cent share of the market.