Australian airline Qantas has officially confirmed that 12 new A350-1000 aircrafts for its ultra-long-haul Project Sunrise initiative. This will support the company’s ambitions to operate the world’s longest commercial non-stop flights, allowing passengers to fly direct from Sydney and Melbourne to destinations such as London and New York.
The A350-1000 is a modern aircraft with its premium layout, increased fuel efficiency, and compatibility with SAF (sustainable aviation fuel). The aircraft is powered by Rolls Royce’s Trent XWB-97 engines. Having entered service in 2015, the Trent XWB-97 is currently the world’s most efficient large aero-engine in service. It delivers a 15% fuel consumption advantage over the first Trent engine, enabling our airlines to fly further on less fuel.
The XWB-97 is also ready to operate on SAFs as they become more available to airlines in the future – this is in line with our commitment to proving all Trent engines are compatible with 100% SAF by 2023. The Trent XWB is claimed to have contributed to avoiding more than 10 million tonnes of CO2 since it launched in 2015.
In addition to offering improved efficiency, the Trent XWB delivers a step-change in out-of-the-box maturity and reliability for the industry, consistently achieving better than 99.9% dispatch reliability. The engine is capable of powering ultra-long-range flights for around 18 hours while still offering a low fuel consumption. The XWB exclusively powers the Airbus A350 family, and the XWB will power the A350-1000.
“We have been powering Qantas aircraft for more than 40 years, and we are delighted to be making more history with Qantas on Project Sunrise. This project is closely aligned with our company’s passion for pioneering new innovations and achieving industry firsts. Our Trent XWB engine already has a pedigree in powering ultra-long-haul flights and doing so with the maximum efficiency and reliability,” said Ewen McDonald, Chief Customer Officer, Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace.
