Rolls-Royce Says A Stretched 'A350-2000' Would Need Up To 7 Years Of Engine Development

Credit: Shutterstock Published Jul 28, 2026, 12:51 AM EDT Luke Diaz is a freelance military writer with experience with active duty experience in the US Navy as well as defense and industrial engineering. He is a former Naval Flight Officer who performed tactical air control on the carrier-based E-2 Hawkeye. Sign in to your Simple Flying account Airbus kicked up buzz across the commercial aviation industry with renewed talks of a stretched A220 regional jet and A350 widebody airliner before the Farnborough airshow wrapped up on July 24. While Europe's titanic planemaker told Reuters a decision would be coming soon, the caveat is that engine maker Rolls-Royce would likely need six or seven years in order to make a powerplant for a larger A350-2000 jetliner. Despite a slow start to the year, Airbus shares rose sharply on July 22 following the announcement of a share buyback campaign coupled with the bullish goal of doubling profits by 2029. Newfound optimism is driving the resurgence in momentum for a new flagship twin-aisle to take on Boeing's upcoming 777X and replace the global A380 superjumbo fleet that will age out of service in the next 10 to 15 years. Airbus Aims High Into The 2030s Credit: Airbus Airbus did not start the year with such a strong projection and confident outlook. At the beginning of 2026, Airbus was under intense pressure, reporting a 52% drop in core profit for the first quarter, or roughly €300 million. CEO Guillaume Faury attributed much of the supply chain bogging down to the lack of Pratt & Whitney engines for new airframes accumulating in the back lot of Airbus factories. The company now expects this issue afflicting the A320neo family to be cleared up by 2028. In parallel with this improvement for the single-aisle line, the A350 twin-aisle series is expected to achieve a production rate of 12 deliveries per month by the same year. In early 2026, launching a major new aircraft variant was out of the question. The potential development of the Airbus A350-2000 and its necessary Rolls-Royce engine are directly tied to Airbus's newly found financial strength and the strategic timeline that is being slowly revealed. As the supply chain is stabilizing for the established airframe families, Airbus will have the opportunity to invest in developing a new variant like the stretched A350 widebody. Based on comments from Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic, if Airbus greenlights the A350-2000 in early 2027, the engine would be certified and ready by 2033 or 2034. Although that sounds like a protracted schedule, Airbus' deep backlog of more than 9,200 orders will keep the lines busy until the A350-2000 launches the next wave of growth. The Cautious Approach By Rolls-Royce Credit: Airbus It is still expected that Airbus will take as long as 12 months to firmly decide on the fate of the A350-2000. Even if it does get the green light soon, the planemaker will be years behind its American counterpart as the 777X is finally expected to enter service early next year. For Airbus to offer an appealing competitor to the 777X, Rolls-Royce's UltraFan integration must deliver a promised 10% to 25% leap in fuel efficiency over current-generation Trent engines. The engine for the A350-2000 cannot just be a slightly bigger version of the current Trent XWB. Still fresh from salvaging the company's financial debacle that resulted from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's problematic Trent 1000 engines, Rolls-Royce's CEO is understandably wary about overcommitting to ambitious new projects. In order to avoid the fate of the Trent 1000, which led to billions of losses, a new widebody engine will require integrating the maker's UltraFan technology that is still in development. Current RR engines use a triple-spool layout, but the UltraFan will use a power gearbox between the turbine and the front fan that allows an enlarged fan to rotate slowly while the core runs very fast and efficiently. The UltraFan concept is also slated to be certified for full-time operations on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel. For Rolls-Royce, being meticulously careful with its next design and production process is a matter of long-term financial survival. The Upcoming Era Of The UltraFan Credit: Airbus As the Boeing 777X will be a mature product by the time the Airbus A350-2000 hits the market, Airbus and Rolls-Royce have no room for error on launch. By the time Airbus opens up an assembly line for the A350-2000 in the 2030s, Boeing will have already moved past its early production 'hiccups.' One compelling case for the construction of a halo product twin jet to sit atop the Airbus lineup is the eventual retirement of Emirates' 116 Airbus A380s. The bulk of Emirates' A380 fleet will reach the end of its serviceable life between 2030 and 2040. The carrier has already ordered smaller A350-900s and Boeing 787s, and over 200 Boeing 777Xs. Still, a capacity gap remains for Emirates as the world's largest widebody fleet. Emirates is heavily invested in the A380-specific infrastructure at its hub in Dubai International (DXB) and its A380 pilots are all trained on Airbus flight decks. These are major incentives that increase the value of the A350-2000. Emirates President Sir Tim Clark has been unsuccessful in lobbying for a new Airbus A380neo variant but given the airline's persistent demands, Airbus' next new widebody is likely to have at least one eager customer.