Rolls-Royce is working with Emirates to find a resolution for the performance issues on the engine that powers the Airbus A350-1000, as a potential order by the long-haul airline for A350 aircraft hangs in the balance.
The engine maker is addressing Emirates' concerns about the duration of the engine's time on the wing or the period between maintenance visits.
“I want an engine that stays on the wing for the right amount of time and Emirates wants an engine that stays on the wing for the right amount of time, so we're jointly aligned on this and we will continue to work through it,” Ewen McDonald, Rolls-Royce's chief customer officer of civil aerospace told The National at the Dubai Airshow.
“We are always open, honest and give Emirates updates, we believe in transparency, we believe in the strong relationship that comes through trust.”
Rolls-Royce's long-standing relationship with Emirates Airline and its president Tim Clark remains unaffected by the situation.
“Our relationship is unchanged through this, it's very positive and will continue to be very positive. We have lots of aircraft with Emirates and we will continue to work with him on what he wants to do with his fleet and we will support that,” Mr McDonald said.
Rolls-Royce is taking measures to enhance the durability of the Trent XWB-97 engines that power the A350-1000 craft and insists the engines are not defective.
That engine “is the most efficient engine … flying today, so it really is high-tech and something we're very proud of. That engine works great and perfectly in environments which are not harsh, we call them benign environments”, he said.
But the desert environment can prove to be harsh, he added.
“When you come to non-benign environments, sandy and hot conditions, it's really testing for engines because they run it at very high temperatures. Sand with high temperatures is a challenge, it's an industry challenge to all new generation engines as far as harsh conditions,” he said.
“It's not that the engines cannot perform a mission, they just do not stay on wing as long as they should.
“It's a durability issue, it's not a defect issue as has been mentioned.”
Earlier at the Dubai Airshow, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, said the carrier would not buy the flagship A350-1000 from Airbus until issues with the Rolls-Royce engine had been addressed.
“When we feel that we have a good deal, we will sign,” he said on Tuesday.
The airline requires specific guarantees from the engine maker.
“I need guarantees on when, at what price and the maintenance cost per hour. That would solve it,” he said.
Emirates already has an existing order for 50 units of the smaller A350-900 model. It also placed an additional order for 15 more of the aircraft on Thursday. The first delivery is expected next summer.
Rolls-Royce is already developing technology to use on existing engines to improve durability, Mr McDonald said.
Wide-body jet market revival
Rolls-Royce is optimistic about the recovery of the overall wide-body aircraft market, which is trailing the narrow-body market in terms of orders following the Covid-19 pandemic.
"This year what we've seen is a strong return to international travel around the world, even China's international [travel market] is coming back strongly," Mr McDonald said.
"So what you're seeing is airlines focus on securing wide-body new generation aircraft because they've done a lot of the narrow-bodies and now they're looking at their international fleet."
Airlines are queuing up to secure positions for new aircraft as delivery slots become more scarce and plane makers' backlogs stretch into the 2030s.
"People are worried about availability of slots, I would say the market is hot, it's very lively, and people who want to secure these slots because there's only so many and if you don't get in then you might miss out," he said.
Airlines are also seeking more fuel-efficient aircraft as one way to meet their sustainability goals.
"One of the quickest ways you can make an impact is replacing older aircraft with more fuel-efficient aircraft," Mr McDonald said.
The combination of these factors means there will be more wide-body order announcements through to the end of the year.
"There is so much activity in the market at the moment. It is to be expected, once people start buying aircraft, other people start sitting up and thinking 'maybe I need to buy some'," the Rolls-Royce executive said.
"Outside the launch of a new aircraft, which always [attracts] lots of orders, I would say this year would be the biggest year ... for the wide-bodies market."
The Dubai Airshow kicked off on Monday with home airlines Emirates and flydubai ordering 125 wide-body jets worth $63 billion.
EgyptAir and Ethiopian Airlines also ordered Airbus A350 wide-bodies during the event.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
Five out of five stars
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Lady Parma, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Tabernas, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m
Winner: Night Castle, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Mutawakked, Szczepan Mazur, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Tafaakhor, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Cranesbill, Fabrice Veron, Erwan Charpy.
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m
Winner: AF Mozhell, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Majdi, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Athabeh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Eshaar, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi
4pm: Gulf Cup presented by Longines Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Al Roba’a Al Khali, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Younis Al Kalbani
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Apolo Kid, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muahiri
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
More on Quran memorisation:
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
ARGYLLE
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Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
