(Reuters) - British engine maker Rolls-Royce said on Wednesday it had agreed with regulatory authorities to inspect some Trent 1000 TEN engines earlier than previously planned after the recent re-emergence of issues related to blade deterioration.
Rolls-Royce said customers will be formally informed of the accelerated inspection regime on Wednesday and that its guidance for in-service cash costs on the Trent 1000 in 2019 and 2020 remains unchanged.
“This blade deterioration is a known issue but it is occurring faster than we expected on some engines,” said Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce President for Civil Aerospace.
Singapore Airlines Ltd grounded two Boeing Co 787-10 jets fitted with Trent 1000 TEN engines last week after checks of its fleet found premature blade deterioration.
The Trent 1000 TEN is the latest version of an engine that has had a problematic entry into service. As of late February, Rolls-Royce said 35 787s were grounded globally due to engine blades corroding or cracking prematurely. The manufacturer said it was aiming to reduce the number to 10 by the end of the year.
In February, the company raised a Trent 1000 accounting charge to 790 million pounds ($1.03 billion) from 554 million pounds at the half year, contributing to a full-year operating loss of 1.16 billion pounds. It also allocated another 100 million pounds in cash to the problem.
Rolls-Royce said that since the entry into service of the Trent 1000 TEN, it had communicated to operators that the high-pressure turbine blades in the engine would have a limited life.
Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur
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