The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97, the latest and most powerful variant of the Trent XWB, the world’s most efficient large civil aero engine, has received formal flight certification, leading the way to the engine entering into service later this year.

Certification of the 97,000lb thrust engine, which will exclusively power the Airbus A350-1000, builds on the success of the 84,000lb thrust version of the Trent XWB which has delivered exceptional levels of performance since it entered passenger service in 2015, powering the Airbus A350-900.

Certification was granted by EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and marks another successful milestone for the Trent XWB, the fastest selling wide body jet engine ever, with over 1,600 engines ordered by more than 40 customers worldwide.

It comes less than a week after the Trent 1000 TEN engine, which will power all variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, received a similar level of certification from EASA, following extensive testing.

The Trent XWB-97’s increased level of thrust relative to the Trent XWB-84 is achieved through a combination of new high-temperature turbine technology, a larger engine core and advanced fan aerodynamics.

Andrew Gwynne, Rolls-Royce, Chief Engineer – Trent XWB, said: “We are very proud of the success of the Trent XWB programme and look forward to the newest variant of the engine entering into service later this year. We have worked closely with the teams at Airbus and EASA to achieve this certification and would like to thank them for their support.”