The Rolls-Royce Trent 7000, which powers the Airbus A330neo, has received its ‘ticket to fly’ from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the first production engines have been delivered to the Airbus facility in Toulouse.

The Trent 7000 is the fourth Rolls-Royce engine to receive formal certification in just 12 months, following in the footsteps of the Trent 1000 TEN, Trent XWB-97 and Pearl 15.

The certificate was presented to Rolls-Royce (www.rolls-royce.com) by EASA certification director Trevor Woods at the Farnborough International Airshow. The Trent 7000, the latest member of the successful Trent engine family, is the exclusive power plant for the A330neo, which will enter service later this year.

Rolls-Royce’s Chris Cholerton said: “This is another great milestone in a period of unprecedented activity for us. Certifying and delivering the Trent 7000 engine further strengthens our position on the latest generation of aircraft.

"We now look forward to supporting Airbus and TAP Air Portugal, as they prepare for the aircraft to enter into service later this year.”

The Trent 7000 benefits from more than 50 million flying hours achieved by the Trent 700, which powers the original version of the A330.

It combines architecture from the Trent 1000 TEN — the latest version of the Trent 1000 engine — with the latest technology from the Trent XWB. The 68-72,000lb thrust Trent 7000 will deliver a step change in performance and economics, compared to the Trent 700.

Benefitting from a bypass ratio double that of its predecessor, it will improve specific fuel consumption by 10% and significantly reduce noise levels.