Rolls-Royce is to restore production of the Trent XWB-84 engine at its German plant in Dahlewitz in 2026, some six years after the last delivery in June 2020.
The company formally opened a Dahlewitz manufacturing line for the engine – which powers the Airbus A350-900 – in 2017, but this was suspended during extensive restructuring measures unveiled during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rolls-Royce has disclosed that assembly of XWB-84s will return to the German site as it unveils £55 million ($70 million) investment plans to address post-pandemic recovery in demand.
Both the main production site in Derby, and that at Dahlewitz, will benefit from a recruitment drive which will create a total of some 300 jobs – around a third of which will be in Germany.
Rolls-Royce will expand engine-building capacity in Derby – enabling it to produce 40% more powerplants from next year, against the average over the past decade – while the company will capitalise on Dahlewitz’s large-engine test facilities to support near-term services demand.
This utilisation of the Dahlewitz capability will precede the eventual restoration of XWB-84 manufacture and testing.
“We are ready to support our continued growth in the widebody market,” says civil aerospace president Rob Watson.
Rolls-Royce delivered 118 XWB-84s last year, and it is expecting large civil engine flying hours to return to pre-pandemic levels this year.
It has been forecasting a 7-9% annual increase in Rolls-Royce-powered aircraft over the rest of this decade.
