Global airlines have cancelled hundreds of flights scheduled for next year due to ongoing delays with Rolls-Royce Trent engines.
Thousands of travellers have been disappointed as problems with the longevity of the Rolls-Royce Trent engine, combined with a shortage of parts, leaving many aircraft grounded and awaiting repair.
But it’s not just the ongoing Rolls-Royce saga that is causing problems for long-haul air travel.
What’s going on?
The Trent 1000 engine, which powers the Boeing 787, has been in service since 2011 and fitted to fleets across many of the world’s key airlines.
However, it’s become apparent that there are problems with the Rolls-Royce Trent engine’s longevity. Faults within these engines coupled with a shortage of parts, means that aircraft all over the world are awaiting repair resulting in fewer available, and therefore, airlines have had to cancel flights and postpone new routes.
That said, it’s not just Rolls-Royce facing challenges and hefty compensation bills at the moment. US rival Pratt & Whitney’s GTF (what a name!) powerplant has also suffered from micro cracks. Around 1,000 engines are potentially affected, including carriers Delta, United, Air New Zealand and JetBlue.
The impact this has had on BA and other key airlines
As a result, British Airways suspended routes to Bahrain and Kuwait and is forced to push back the return of its Kuala Lumpur service from November of this year until April 2025.
The airline will also switch its Dallas/Fort Worth services over to American Airlines next summer while it grounds six of its Boeing 787s.
The knock-on effect of this means older 777 models have replaced some BA flights. As a result, Gatwick’s New York service is suspended this winter, and the frequency of flights from London Heathrow to Doha has been reduced from twice to once daily.
The serious impact of this was underlined by Wizz Air, who predict that 47 planes are due to be out of service over the coming 12 months, with a turnaround time for each engine of 300 days and the attributable hit on profit as they wet-lease replacement aircraft. The fall-out has been widespread therefore, and other carriers affected include Virgin Atlantic, which has postponed the May 2025 return of its Accra route. Air New Zealand, ANA and Gulf Air amongst others suffering similar headaches as a result.
How is this affecting the cost of air travel?
When you have a shortage of anything, the price goes up. Therefore, this shortage of parts and, subsequently, aircraft means there has been a startling price-hike across many key airlines.
What’s more, as this supply issue will affect Rolls-Royce engines until 2026, Airlines expect load-factors and fares on some important business routes to remain high throughout 2025.
This is not the first time this has happened
This is not the first time that Rolls-Royce’s Trent engines have come under fire, either.
In fact, the brand has had its issues over the years and a decade after these engines were introduced, carriers found fan blades were cracking. One carrier, Norwegian Air, even blames them in part for its decision to pull out of the long-haul travel arena altogether.
Emirates is another airline that has been outspoken about the durability of Trent engines, particularly in dry and dusty environments. As a result, Rolls-Royce has said that newer versions of the engine have a redesigned coating for the turbine blades, which is said to be more resilient.
None of these woes have however stopped the Rolls Royce share price from sky-rocketing over recent times as the impact continues to be perceived by the markets as short term.
Choosing an expert travel agent becomes all the more crucial amidst this ongoing uncertainty
One thing is for sure: you don’t want engine problems at 35,000 feet, so it’s good to see that all Airlines are currently scheduling and sorting these problems on the ground.
However, whilst airline safety is never compromised with any carrier, there will be disruptions, extra expenditure and plenty of shouting at the airport for many travellers.
If you book directly through these airlines, you might find yourself at the end of a long queue of those looking for help and support. That’s why you should always have a good travel agent in your pocket, to avoid the problem in the first place, and act immediately to anticipate and resolve any inconvenience.
As these issues continue, choosing an expert Travel Management partner like Meon Travel also means you get 24/7 travel support within 3 rings from a human being rather than the painfully familiar “Dial 1 to hold interminably, 2 to be handled dismissively, and 3 to be cut off inexplicably”.
Duty of Care and good old-fashioned service from Meon Travel also means somebody’s there who perfectly understands the travel worlds imperfections and has dedicated experts to advocate for you should these challenges impact your plans, or your budget.
Meanwhile for what its worth, I’m off to check the Rolls Royce share price. Everyone needs engines!
