LATAM Airlines has selected Rolls-Royce to supply Trent 1000 XE engines for three Boeing 787 Dreamliners, marking a return to the British engine maker after previously operating only Trent 1000-powered 787s.
The order comes as LATAM expands its fleet with a mix of engine types. In December 2025, the airline took delivery of its first 787-9 equipped with GE Aerospace GEnx engines, ending exclusive use of the Trent 1000. LATAM announced plans for this dual-engine approach in December 2023 and later ordered five additional 787-9s, bringing its total to 46 Boeing 787s.
The Trent 1000 XE represents an upgraded version of the high-bypass turbofan engine, one of two options for the 787 alongside the GEnx. Rolls-Royce introduced the XE through a certified two-phase durability enhancement program. Key features include a re-engineered high-pressure turbine blade that boosts cooling air flow by 40 percent, more than doubling time-on-wing compared to its predecessor. Additional improvements encompass an updated combustion chamber, fuel nozzles, and FADEC software.
Phase 2 of the enhancements, including further high-pressure turbine blade refinements, shroud weight reduction, improved nozzle guide vanes, and combustor coatings, received certification recently. New production engines will incorporate these from the first quarter of 2026, with in-service fleet integration starting in April 2026. Rolls-Royce plans to upgrade all Trent 1000 TEN engines to XE standard by the end of 2027.
Lufthansa took delivery of the first aircraft with Trent 1000 XE engines, a 787-9, in early November 2025. LATAM joins other carriers like Air Tanzania, All Nippon Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, and THAI Airways in operating 787s with both GEnx and Trent 1000 variants.