In the closing stages of the Dubai air show, Emirates has signed an order for an additional 15 A350-900 aircraft; taking its total order to 65 aircraft.
The order was finalised amid speculation that the United Arab Emirates’ flag carrier may not have sealed the deal, citing perceived durability issues with the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97; the only engine utilised on the type. With sales slow for Airbus (with only one deal finalised) on day two of the show, Emirates president Sir Tim Clark explained: “We don’t buy aeroplanes that are defective”.
Referencing the issues encountered with running the powerplant from a hot and dusty Dubai base (the operating efficiency of which has necessitated higher operating temperature and engine pressure ratios), Clark also suggested that the Trent XWB-97 was only capable of managing around a quarter of the desired 2500 on-wing cycles.
Speaking to Airline Economics, a Rolls-Royce spokesperson refuted these claims, describing the A350-900 XWB-84 as “the best engine out there when you look at efficiency, durability and reliability”. Additionally, as the only new-generation high-thrust engine in service, Rolls-Royce noted how the XWB-97 “has proven its reliability and durability over five million years of service and more than two million engine flight hours” (set to increase to more than five million by 2025).
Highlighting how the “Airbus A350 and Rolls-Royce Trent XWB have proven again and again to be a winning combination” (ordered and/or operated by over 56 customers such as EVA, Air France KLM and Air India), the spokesperson concluded that the “good engine” would also be subject to continuous improvements including drawing upon technologies from the Ultrafan demonstrator.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, explained the carrier plans to deploy the A350s to serve a range of new markets including long-haul missions of up to 15 hours flying time from Dubai.