Rolls-Royce celebrated the delivery of EgyptAir’s first Airbus A350-900 powered exclusively by Trent XWB-84 engines on Sunday, February 9, marking a significant milestone in the airline’s long-haul fleet modernisation programme.
The aircraft is the first of 16 A350-900s to be delivered to EgyptAir as part of the airline’s wider fleet expansion. The A350-900 will play a central role in supporting network expansion and increasing long-haul capacity from the carrier’s Cairo hub to key destinations including the US West Coast and North Asia.
Omar Al Adib, Senior Vice President for Civil Aerospace at Rolls-Royce, congratulated EgyptAir on the delivery and highlighted the importance of this step in the airline’s long-haul expansion. He emphasized that Rolls-Royce’s relationship with EgyptAir spans more than five decades, during which the company has supported the airline through successive generations of aircraft and engine technology.
The introduction of the Trent XWB-powered A350 builds on that longstanding partnership and reflects EgyptAir’s continued focus on operational excellence as it continues to grow its widebody fleet.
The A350 is exclusively powered by the Trent XWB, which Rolls-Royce describes as the world’s most efficient large civil aeroengine in service. The engine is optimised for long-range operations, delivering lower fuel burn, reduced carbon dioxide emissions and enhanced environmental performance.
The Trent XWB offers 25 percent lower fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions, and powers the world’s longest commercial routes with game-changing efficiency. Across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia, the Trent XWB-84 has covered nearly 3.8 million flying hours, with unparalleled performance across some of the world’s most challenging environments, from hot and high to dry and sandy.
Rolls-Royce’s relationship with EgyptAir spans more than 55 years, reflecting some of the most critical milestones in the history of civil aviation. Over this period, Rolls-Royce has powered the airline from the world’s first turboprop engine to enter airline service through to the first commercial flight of an axial-flow jet engine, and today’s latest generation of widebody aircraft.
With the entry into service of the A350-900, EgyptAir continues to build a Rolls-Royce-powered widebody fleet, which also includes 11 Airbus A330ceo aircraft powered by Trent 700 engines and eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners powered by Trent 1000 engines.
The delivery makes EgyptAir the launch operator of the A350-900 in North Africa and the second airline on the African continent to operate the type, after Ethiopian Airlines. The aircraft features a two-class configuration comprising 30 Business Class suites with direct aisle access and 310 Economy Class seats.
EgyptAir placed an initial order for 10 A350-900 aircraft at Dubai Airshow on November 14, 2023. The airline increased its order by an additional six A350-900s at the Paris Air Show on June 18, 2025, as part of its expansion strategy to meet growing demand for air travel.
Rolls-Royce reported annual underlying revenue of 17.8 billion British pounds in 2024, with underlying operating profit of 2.46 billion British pounds. The company has a local presence in 48 countries and customers in over a hundred more, including airlines and aircraft leasing companies, armed forces and navies, and marine and industrial customers.
