Rolls-Royce discovers cracks inside another set of engines: Issues will cost up to £50m to put right
Rolls-Royce’s reputation has been dealt a further blow after it found cracks inside another set of engines.
It discovered the problems with a small number of its Trent XWB-84s, which power the Airbus A350 planes, during routine inspections carried out last month.
It is expected issues will cost Rolls up to £50million to put right.
Rolls-Royce discovered the problems with a small number of its Trent XWB-84s, which power the Airbus A350 planes (pictured), during routine inspections carried out last month
The company said the ‘indications of wear’ have not caused any in-flight issues and will not disrupt things for customers.
But the news has worrying echoes of problems with its Trent 1000 engines, which are used in Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner that forced the planes using them to be grounded so that repairs could be carried out. The bill for that has ballooned to £2.4billion.
And it comes as Rolls has been hit hard by the coronavirus, which has grounded flights all over the world, starving it of income it usually makes from servicing plane engines.
The company is axing 9,000 staff out of its 52,000-strong workforce, and mulling ways to raise more cash.
About 100 Trent XWBs have been in operation for four or more years and due for their first major service. Rolls is understood to have found cracks in 20 engines.
Around 650 Trent XWBs are in service on A350s, flown by airlines such as Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa.
Derby-based Rolls-Royce has been hammered by the pandemic and is undertaking its third major restructuring in six years.
Reports are rife that the company, whose shares have tumbled 60 per cent this year, is hoping to raise £1billion by selling its Spanish arm ITP Aero and £1.5billion by selling new shares.
It would find it hard to take out new loans because all three major credit ratings agencies – Moody’s, S&P and Fitch – have downgraded its credit rating to ‘junk’ status.