Rolls-Royce has reported the effective elimination of aircraft-on-ground (AOG) delays across its civil aerospace business, crediting a sharp increase in engine maintenance output and a more resilient supply chain during the six months ending 30 June 2026. The result removes a source of operational disruption that has weighed on airlines operating Rolls-Royce-powered widebody aircraft for several years.
CEO Tufan Erginbilgic framed the development in direct terms. ‘We have also effectively eliminated aircraft on ground, providing a significant operational benefit to our customers,’ he said. An AOG situation arises when an airline cannot operate an aircraft because it is waiting for an engine, a replacement part or the completion of maintenance work. The cumulative effect on schedules and fleet utilisation has been material for carriers relying on affected aircraft types.
Rolls-Royce AOG elimination backed by sharply higher shop-visit volumes
Large-engine maintenance output rose 13% during the half year, while the number of large-engine refurbishments increased 35% year on year. Rolls-Royce’s Civil Aerospace unit completed 712 long-term service agreement shop visits in the period, up from 696 a year earlier. Major large-engine shop visits rose to 294 from 217.
Underpinning those volumes is additional MRO capacity brought online at three locations: one each in the UK, Germany and Singapore, according to Rolls-Royce. That geographic spread across three separate MRO sites gives the aftermarket network broader reach to serve airlines in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific without the transit times that have historically extended AOG recovery periods.
Rolls-Royce said it restructured its aftermarket operations to make the maintenance network more resilient and also credited improved planning and supply-chain performance for the progress. New engine deliveries contributed to fleet readiness as well: the company delivered 279 new civil engines during the half, up 18%, comprising 157 large engines and 122 engines for business and regional aircraft.
Trent 1000 and Trent 7000 upgrades central to durability programme
The Rolls-Royce AOG elimination effort is closely tied to a broader programme of in-service upgrades designed to keep engines on wing for longer between maintenance visits. Almost half of the Trent 1000 TEN fleet has received upgraded high-pressure turbine blades, bringing those engines to the new Trent 1000 XE standard. The redesigned blade features a 40% increase in cooling flow, a change Rolls-Royce says extends on-wing life substantially, according to the company’s own technical materials.
The first phase of improvements doubles time on wing. A second modification adds a further 30%. Together, the two changes could deliver as much as three times the previous time on wing, depending on how an individual airline operates the engine. Nearly the entire Trent 7000 fleet has received the same turbine-blade upgrade. Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000 XE programme details the engineering basis for the extended on-wing performance.
Rolls-Royce’s broader durability programme remains on track to increase time on wing by more than 100% across its current production engines by the end of 2027. Longer intervals between shop visits reduce the throughput pressure on the MRO network and lower the probability of an AOG event, a link that IATA and the wider maintenance community have long recognised as central to fleet reliability.
Civil Aerospace financials reflect stronger throughput
The operational gains fed through to Civil Aerospace revenue, which rose 29% to £6.19 billion in the first half. Operating profit increased 31% to £1.57 billion, with the division’s operating margin reaching 25.3%. Large-engine flying hours grew 4% and reached 113% of the level recorded in the equivalent period of 2019. Flying hours for business aviation and regional aircraft engines rose 9%.
On the strength of those results, Rolls-Royce raised its full-year underlying operating profit forecast to between £4.7 billion and £4.9 billion, up from a prior range of £4 billion to £4.2 billion. The upgraded guidance reflects both the maintenance throughput gains achieved in the first half and the continued improvement in engine flying hours across the civil fleet.
