Trent 700

Overview

The Rolls-Royce Trent 700 is the most commercially successful member of the Trent engine family, capturing more than half of the Airbus A330 engine market with over 1,600 engines delivered. It powers the A330-200 and A330-300 and has established an industry-leading dispatch reliability record across two decades of service with airlines worldwide.

Like all Trent engines, the Trent 700 uses a three-spool layout. This allows the fan, intermediate-pressure compressor, and high-pressure compressor to each rotate at their aerodynamically optimal speed, improving efficiency across all flight phases. The engine introduced Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) as standard, enabling precise fuel management and simplifying pilot workload during normal and abnormal operations.

Technical Specifications

Variants

• Trent 768: Lower-thrust variant at 68,000 lbf for shorter-range A330-200/-300 operations.
• Trent 772: Intermediate variant at 72,000 lbf, the most widely ordered rating in the family.
• Trent 772B: Updated variant with improved durability, enhanced nacelle acoustics, and reduced maintenance intervals, introduced in the mid-2000s.

Aircraft Applications

• Airbus A330-200
• Airbus A330-300

Development History

The Trent 700 programme began in 1990, with Rolls-Royce competing against the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 and General Electric CF6 for A330 engine contracts. First engine run took place in 1992, and the engine received EASA and FAA certification in 1994. Entry into service came in 1995 with Cathay Pacific Airways. The Trent 700's commercial success — capturing more than 50 percent of the A330 engine market — gave Rolls-Royce the financial foundation and engineering confidence to develop subsequent Trent variants. More than 1,600 Trent 700 engines have been delivered to over 50 operators, accumulating hundreds of millions of flight hours.