Rolls-Royce must accelerate solutions to engine issues, Gulf Air says

Gulf Air said engine maker Rolls-Royce must quickly fix the durability issues on the Trent 1000 engines powering its Boeing 787-9 wide-body aircraft, which are imposing constraints on the airline as it maps out network expansion. The Manama-based airline has undertaken a network revision that will result in axing unprofitable routes and 25% more destinations being added in the next five years, Jeffrey Goh, CE of Gulf Air Group Holding, told The National on the sidelines of the Routes World conference in Bahrain. However, Gulf Air has had to reduce flight frequencies and cancel or delay some flights as a result of the persistent engine issues that are grounding some of its wide-body aircraft while the engines are in the repair shop, he said. The airline called on the UK engine builder to address its issues as more predictability and efficiency is required to plan the growth of its network. “Rolls-Royce doesn't have a solution for its Trent 1000 engines, which means there has been frequent grounding of aircraft. We are not the only airline,” Goh said. “Rolls-Royce has to expedite a solution.”<br/>