Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, plans to make further performance improvements to its market-leading Trent 700 engine that powers the Airbus A330.

Technologies already proven on Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, Trent XWB and BR725 engines are available to be incorporated into the Trent 700 to deliver increased efficiency of at least one per cent. The improvement programme will also focus on engine service support.

The Trent 700 is the best-selling member of the Trent engine family, with more than 1,400 either sold or on order. It is the market leader on the Airbus A330, accounting for around three quarters of future engine orders on the aircraft.

The improvement programme will be finalised this year, with enhanced engines expected to enter service in 2015. Improvements will also be available for retrofit to the current engine fleet. The enhanced Trent 700 will complement the improvements to the A330 aircraft that Airbus has announced.

Tom Palmer, Rolls-Royce, Project Director - Trent 700, said: "The market's favourite engine for the Airbus A330 is about to get even better. We are committed to continually improving every member of the Trent family as we develop new technology that improves efficiency. We now look forward to working with our customers and Airbus to bring this new standard of Trent 700 to the market, where I am sure it will prove popular for decades to come."

The Trent 700 is the only engine specifically designed for the Airbus A330 and entered service in 1995. The improvement programme announced today is in addition to enhancements introduced in 2009, incorporating Trent 900 and Trent 1000 technology, that delivered a one per cent reduction in fuel consumption.

At any one time 40,000 passengers are flying on a Trent 700 powered Airbus A330. On average a Trent 700 powered A330 takes off or lands somewhere around the world once every 40 seconds.

The Trent 900 is the engine of customer choice on the A380, selected by 11 of 16 airlines that have made an engine choice.