**Update: 29/11/2019 @ 09:10 UTC - Rolls Royce has issued a comment on the confidence it places in its engines.**
The President of Emirates has urged Rolls Royce to correct its Trent 1000 engine issues or risk compromising its "gold standard". Tim Clark made the comments at the Dubai Air Show this week but also alluded his support for Rolls Royce, if it can get its engine right.
Clark hastens Rolls Royce
Earlier this week, Emirates changed the game with its fleet renovation by swapping 30 of its Boeing 777X orders for 787-9 Dreamliners. The move was exciting with the deal worth a list value of $8.8 billion. So brilliantly blinding was the order, as well as the culmination of events throughout the Dubai Air Show, that the order's engine details seemed to go unnoticed.
In fact, there were none. Emirates did not specify which engine it would operate in its 787-9 Dreamliner order.
Emirates can choose between GEnx engines from GE Aviation or the Trent 1000 from Rolls Royce. The Trent 1000 has run into issues this year which has caused a delayed delivery. The elongation of the situation led Tim Clark, reported by Reuters, to remark:
"Rolls [Royce] have had a number of wake up calls and they really need to sort themselves out."
However, scathing though they may seem, his comments suggest that Emirates has a distinct engine preference if that provider can get it right.
Rolls Royce over GE Aviation?
Rolls Royce has a good relationship with Emirates. Its Trent XWB engines will power the 50 A350-900 aircraft Emirates ordered at the Dubai Air Show. But redesigns on the turbine blades of the Trent 1000 engine have prevented Rolls Royce issuing a suitable Trent 1000 powered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. But that seems to be exactly what Emirates wants.
Tim Clark called for the engineering company to quicken its pace and "meaningfully" implement the necessary solutions to its engine failure. The Emirates' President also commented:
“With the reputation that (Rolls) has for quality engineering and its excellence in the past, they must restore that as the gold standard...”
But Clark's intention is not to individually slander anyone in the company. He simply wants them to hurry up. And why?
Well, it looks like Emirates is favoring Rolls Royce over GE Aviation at the moment. Not only will Rolls Royce be supplying engines for other of its aircraft orders but its competitor is now running into issues.
Emirates might be losing faith with the quality of GE Aviation's engines. GE, like Rolls Royce, is experiencing delays after issues in its engines. The most poignant example of this is with the 777X. The delays that have slowed Boeing's delivery of this aircraft are related to the engine. A GE9X. And we saw Emirates cut back on its 777X order earlier this week.
What's wrong with the Trent 1000?
At the root of the Trent 1000 problems is the ability of parts to withstand time. The high-pressure turbine blades are not structurally sound and the intermediate-pressure turbine blades have suffered chemical corrosion.
An Airworthiness Directive has also now been issued by the EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Authority) for the Trent 1000 and another model. If cracks are detected in the engine, Rolls Royce will be responsible for materializing fixes.
Back in May, Rolls Royce termed the disruption its issues had caused as "unacceptable". It assured us that it was working perilously to resolve the issues. But it appears airlines are still calling its bluff.
A spokesperson for Rolls Royce told Simple Flying:
“We are confident in the reliability and performance of our engines, and in our commitment to meeting the high standards expected by our customers. We have worked with Emirates for decades and we are proud to power so much of its fleet. The airline is one of the largest operators of our Trent engines in the world, and we are committed to maintaining our strong relationship with them."
Do you think Emirates will select the Trent 1000 for its Dreamliner order? Will Rolls Royce further delay its schedule? Let us know in the comments!