Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR., ADR: RYCEY) is celebrating a major milestone for its Trent XWB-84 Enhanced Performance (EP) engine, which has delivered almost double the baseline of anticipated fuel savings during its first year in service.

Enabled by the ongoing transformation of Rolls-Royce, the first Trent XWB-84 EP entered service in May 2025 as part of a £1 billion investment in its modern Trent fleet. Certified with a two-decibel noise reduction and an initial one percent fuel burn saving compared to the standard Trent XWB-84, data from the first 34 engines in service across three major operators shows the engine is delivering a 1.8% reduction in fuel consumption.

This improvement translates to around $450,000 in annual fuel savings per aircraft, or around $9 million per year for a typical fleet of 20 Airbus A350-900s. The Trent XWB-84 EP is on track to reach 100,000 flying hours in its first year, demonstrating its reliability and positive impact on customers’ operational efficiency and sustainability.

For the last 10 years, longstanding Rolls-Royce partners in the Middle East, including Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad and more recently Riyadh Air have relied on the Trent XWB-84 to power its A350s for medium-haul, long-haul, and ultra-long-range operations. 

Adam Davies, Director Commercial Aviation, Trent XWB for Rolls-Royce, said: “This milestone is proof that the investments we have made in our Trent family are delivering real-world results, supporting our customers’ operational efficiency and sustainability goals.  We are delighted our target of at least one percent improvement in fuel burn has been comfortably surpassed. I would like to thank our partners, for their ongoing trust in the Trent XWB family.”  

The strong in-service performance of the Trent XWB-84 EP comes at a time when demand for the Airbus A350 continues to grow in the Middle East, with airlines increasingly deploying the aircraft across a wider range of long-haul routes to support evolving network requirements in recent months.

Rolls-Royce continues to produce both the standard and EP variants of the Trent XWB-84 to meet diverse customer needs, with the EP engine now setting a new benchmark for fuel efficiency in the industry.