OREANDA-NEWS. Rolls-Royce today congratulated Brazil-based TAM Airlines, part of LATAM Airlines Group, on becoming the Americas’ first operator of the Airbus A350 XWB, powered by the world’s most efficient large civil aero engine, the Trent XWB.

The aircraft flew from Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, to Belo Horizonte/Confins airport, Brazil.

The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB is the only engine that powers the A350 XWB and more than 1,500 engines have already been sold to 41 customers.

The A350 XWB delivers a 25 per cent fuel burn improvement compared to previous generation aircraft. The Trent XWB is also one of the quietest engines that Rolls-Royce has ever produced for the wide-body market.

The engine, which powered the first A350 XWB to go into service at the start of this year, is the result of years of research and development and advanced engineering of more than 20,000 parts.

Claudia Sender, Chief Executive Officer, TAM S.A said: “This is a significant moment in the history of our airline as we become Americas’ first operator of the Airbus A350 XWB. This is an aircraft that will offer outstanding service and set new standards for passenger experience, efficiency and reliability.”

Fabrice Br?gier, President and CEO, Airbus, said: “The A350 XWB symbolises Airbus’ mission to innovate and to provide the market with the world’s leading aircraft. Offering unrivalled passenger flying experience and operational productivity, the A350 XWB is the perfect aircraft to support TAM’s long-haul strategy to Europe and the United States.”

Eric Schulz, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Large Engines, said: “We are very proud to be with TAM Airlines and Airbus today to celebrate another milestone in the global A350 XWB story. We look forward to further strengthening our relationship with TAM Airlines and working with them for many years to come.”

LATAM Airlines Group has ordered a total of 27 A350 XWBs.

Trent XWB – incredible engineering by numbers:

  • The fan is nearly 10ft feet across – its diameter is larger than the fuselage of Concorde.
  • It sucks in up to 1.3 tonnes of air, the equivalent of a squash court, every second at take-off.
  • The force on a fan blade at take-off is equivalent to a load of almost 90 tons, the same as nine London buses hanging off each blade.
  • High pressure turbine blades inside the engine rotate at 12,500 rpm, with their tips reaching 1,200mph – twice the speed of sound.
  • At take off each of the engine’s 68 high pressure turbine blades generates around 900 horsepower per blade – the equivalent to that of a Formula One racing car.
  • At full power, air leaves the nozzle at the back of the engine travelling at almost 1000mph.