Rolls-Royce president attempts to reassure ANA

The president of Rolls-Royce’s civil aerospace division, Eric Schulz, has met ANA executives in Japan in the wake of several incidents involving the Trent 1000 engines installed on the Japanese carrier’s Boeing 787s. Schulz’s trip to Tokyo to personally meet ANA management is an indication of how seriously the engine manufacturer is taking the problem of fatigue cracks being discovered in blades in the intermediate pressure turbine of several of ANA’s aircraft. Rolls-Royce said Schulz had updated the executives on the joint work being carried out by both companies to address the problem and get the aircraft back into service as quickly as possible. The Japanese carrier uses the 787 extensively on both its domestic and international networks. “The disruption caused to ANA and its passengers is of great concern for all of us at Rolls-Royce,” Schulz said. ”We are all working closely together to return the situation to normal as quickly as possible. The situation is being closely monitored at the highest levels within Rolls-Royce.” This disruption has been caused by the Trent 1000 IPT blades failing to meet their expected lifespan because of corrosion, apparently caused by the presence of chemical components in the atmosphere.<br/>