Rolls-Royce welcomes Philippine Airlines order for 18 Trent XWB-97 engines | Rolls-Royce

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Rolls-Royce welcomes Philippine Airlines order for 18 Trent XWB-97 engines

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Tuesday 21 July 2026 15:13 PM

Rolls-Royce welcomes Philippine Airlines order for 18 Trent XWB-97 engines

Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR., ADR: RYCEY) and Philippine Airlines (PAL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 18 Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines to power nine Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR., ADR: RYCEY) and Philippine Airlines (PAL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 18 Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines to power nine Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

The Trent XWB-97 is the exclusive engine for the A350. The MoU includes engines for up to five aircraft covered by PAL’s purchase rights, to provide flexibility for the airline to realise future growth opportunities.

A proposal for Rolls-Royce's TotalCare service, which will cover the health and maintenance of the fleet, has also been signed.

Rob Watson, President of Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, said:

We are proud to continue strengthening our long-standing relationship with Philippine Airlines. The Trent XWB-97 is an exceptional engine, renowned for its proven reliability and efficiency, making it our best-selling engine over the past 18 months. Combined with the comprehensive operational support provided by TotalCare, this order will enable Philippine Airlines to maximise their operational performance as they continue expanding their A350-1000 fleet.”

Lucio C. Tan III, President and Chief Operating officer of PAL Holdings, Inc, said:

This investment manifests our confidence in the future of Philippine Airlines. Together, the Airbus A350-1000 and the Trent XWB-97 engine will continue to define our flagship long-haul operations for many years to come. Our TotalCare agreement complements this investment by providing comprehensive maintenance support that helps maximize fleet availability while giving us greater confidence in long-term maintenance planning and cost predictability.”

This order follows PAL’s previous order for nine Trent XWB-97-powered Airbus A350-1000 in 2023.

The Trent XWB-97 has proven its reliability and durability over eight years of service and more than four million engine flying hours. It has received the first two of its three durability enhancement packages. The third phase, which will enter service in 2028, doubles time on wing in challenging environments and provides 50% improvement in benign conditions.

The Trent XWB-97 is certified to operate on a 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend today and has been proven to be compatible with 100% SAF for the future.

TotalCare is designed to provide operational certainty for customers by transferring time on wing and maintenance cost risk back to Rolls-Royce. This industry-leading, premium service offering is supported by Rolls-Royce’s advanced engine health monitoring system, which helps provide customers with increased operational availability, reliability and efficiency.

About Philippine Airlines

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the Philippines’ flag carrier and the country’s only full-service network airline. Founded in 1941, PAL is Asia’s first commercial airline and has played a vital role in connecting the Philippines to the world for over 85 years.

PAL operates scheduled nonstop flights from its hubs in Manila and Cebu to 29 destinations across the Philippines and 40 destinations in Asia, North America, Australia, and the Middle East.

PAL is an APEX Four Star™ airline and was recognized by Cirium for achieving the highest on-time performance among Asia-Pacific carriers in 2025. In 2026, Philippine Airlines was officially invited to join the oneworld® Alliance.

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

Rolls-Royce is a force for progress; powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere. Our products and service packages help our customers meet the growing need for power across multiple industries; enable governments to equip their armed forces with the power required to protect their citizens; and connect people, societies, cultures and economies together.
Rolls-Royce has a local presence in 47 countries and customers in over a hundred more, including airlines and aircraft leasing companies, armed forces and navies, and marine and industrial customers.
Through our multi-year transformation programme, we are building a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing Rolls-Royce. We are building the financial capacity and agility to allow us to successfully develop and deliver the products that will support our customers through the energy transition.
Annual underlying revenue was £20.1 billion in 2025, and underlying operating profit was £3.46 billion.
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a publicly traded company (LSE: RR., ADR: RYCEY, LEI: 213800EC7997ZBLZJH69).

www.rolls-royce.com

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