You simply must hand it to Rolls Royce here.
Despite extremely well documented Trent 1000 engine issues, which have plagued the otherwise beloved Boeing 787 Dreamliner program for years, Rolls Royce has the following to say about their new Trent 1000 TEN engine update…
“PERFECT TEN. Already the most reliable engine on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Trent 1000 will set the performance bar even higher as the engine’s TEN (thrust, efficiency and new technology) development programme moves into its final test stages.” – Rolls Royce
There’s just one problem with all that. It hasn’t.
Today, Singapore Airlines was forced to ground two brand new jets and an additional jet from low cost arm Scoot less than a year after launch, all due to Rolls Royce Trent 1000 TEN engine wear and tear.
The Backstory, In Short.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is one of the most well regarded long haul planes in the sky, marvelled by passengers and airlines for its improved cabin pressure, sleek design, and increased fuel efficiency. It really helps to reduce jet lag too. Between the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, it’s a genuine toss up as to which of the “next generation” planes offer the very best passenger experience in the sky.
Yet the one thing Boeing didn’t have anything to do with is the one reason the 787 “Dreamliner” has been more like a nightmare for some airlines and their passengers.
Airlines which opted for the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines, versus the GE engine variant have been forced to cancel flights, ground fleets and scramble for alternative aircraft due to excessive engine wear and tear. Blades and compressors on the Trent 1000 engines were wearing far too quickly.
Even when the engines have been flying, they’ve been subject to increase safety regulation, limiting how far away they’re allowed to fly from a safe landing strip. Basically, they’re on a very short leash.
The Trent 1000 TEN was supposed to be the big, new, upgraded answer. As of today, it’s officially not.
Trent 1000 TEN Grounded By Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines has pulled two Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft from the skies because of wear and tear issues detected on the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 TEN engines. The planes are less than a year old and debuted April 3rd of last year. To be clear: unlike other current major news topics this is not a Boeing thing, it’s a continuation of the failures within the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine program.
Singapore now becomes the 13th airline affected by the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 program. The TEN variant, launched on the stretched out 787-10 variant of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was intended to fix known wear issues affecting compressors and blades in the Rolls Royce Trent engine, while also improving thrust and efficiency. The engine is now offered on the 787-8 and 787-9 variants as well.
During proactive maintenance, Singapore Air found similar blade and compressor issues to those of the previous engine, and according to Bloomberg, the airline decided to ground their 787-10 aircraft. The airline has also grounded a 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft used by its low cost arm Scoot, which also features the new “TEN” variant.
For Rolls Royce, this is a fresh hangover from the three year hangover the engine maker has already endured,. At a time when air travel confidence has been shaken, there’s no telling how far the impact will go as its latest engine goes into the shop.
….and all of that has been reflected in the Rolls Royce share price! Been destroyed over last few months
You can NOT reduce Jetlag !! ..
Your body will always feel the 6 , 7 or more hours time difference between two countries or continents …
You may arrive at destination less tired through quieter engines or a higher humidity in the cabin ,but that’s it …
If you feel less tired… You’ve reduced the effects of jet lag.
All these engineering fails really puzzled me. We have the luxury nowdays to have very powerful computers that can helps us design and simulate almost perfectly what would happen once the system or mechanical model entered the real world. So what is happening? Old year engineers accomplished tremendous wonders in an age that there were very few computer aids, software, CAD, simulation, 3D design, to tell just some. Why are we losing it?, We are going backwards, and we see more and more kludge solutions where shouldn’t be. We are not giving good use to all the wonderful computer tools we have. And many lives are being lost for these relaxed approaches. Bad too bad times really.
it all comes down to ENGINEERING ,if you cut corners this is what happens , what does this say about the management ? get rid of the dead wood before they bankrupt the business
We are somewhat frequent flyers. We travel twice a year from SFO to AMS on 10.25 hour flights. Our experience from flying in 789’s, 747’s, and 772’s is that the 789 is far superior.
The lower pressurization, the higher humidity, the lower noise, the smoother flight makes for much less jet lag, noticeably less jet lag, the day of arrival and the next day.
We are furious when we book 787’s on flights and an airline substitutes another 7– type.