Airlines rework schedules over 787 engines

Airlines are rewriting Boeing 787 plans around engine availability, not just aircraft demand. British Airways has cut routes because of delayed Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines and parts, Air New Zealand has kept multiple 787-9s out of service while it waits for maintenance capacity, and ANA has added more GE-powered 787s to its orderbook. (ch-aviation.com) The pressure point is the split-engine structure of the 787 program. Boeing sells the jet with either Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 or GE Aerospace GEnx engines, and recent airline decisions show how engine operability can drive scheduling, fleet planning and future orders as much as airframe economics. (geaerospace.com) (investors.boeing.com) ### Why are airlines changing schedules over a 787 engine issue? British Airways said it had made “further changes” to its schedule because it continued to face delays in deliveries of engines and parts from Rolls-Royce, “particularly in relation to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines fitted to our B787 aircraft.” The carrier told ch-aviation it did not believe the issue would be solved quickly. (ch-aviation.com) On or around March 30, British Airways suspended flights to Kuwait and Dallas/Fort Worth, cut Miami from twice daily to daily, and delayed the restart of Kuala Lumpur, according to ch-aviation. The route changes followed earlier schedule revisions tied to the same engine supply problem. (aviationweek.com) ### How severe is the disruption for Air New Zealand? Air New Zealand said in a November 25 investor presentation that aircraft availability problems from global engine maintenance delays would continue into early 2026. The airline expected a similar number of aircraft out of service for most of 2025 after seeing up to four 787-9s grounded in the second half of 2024. (ch-aviation.com) The carrier said the combined engine-related groundings across its jet fleet represented more than 16% of total capacity. Ch-aviation reported four of Air New Zealand’s 787-9s were out of service at the time, adding to pressure on earnings and forcing the airline to examine lease options to support capacity. (ch-aviation.com) ### Why is GE gaining ground on the 787? GE Aerospace said on February 25, 2025 that ANA Holdings committed to buy GEnx-1B engines for additional Boeing 787s. ANA Chief Executive Koji Shibata said the group was “pleased to add more GEnx-1B powered fleets” and said it expected the engines to contribute to growth. (ch-aviation.com) GE says the GEnx powers two-thirds of 787s currently in operation and has more than 3,000 engines in service and backlog, including spares. On its product page, GE says the engine has a 99.98% dispatch rate and “3X higher time on wing,” metrics it uses to market reliability and availability. (ch-aviation.com) British Airways had already shifted six incoming 787s to GE power in July 2024. Chief Executive Sean Doyle told Aviation Week the airline had run a competition and based its decision on “cost and quality” and “total cost of maintenance.” ### What does this mean for Boeing’s 787 recovery plans? Boeing said on November 7, 2025 that its South Carolina 787 site was set to increase production to 10 airplanes a month in 2026, backed by more than $1 billion of investment. (geaerospace.com) The company said the 787 backlog stood at nearly 1,000 airplanes after more than 1,200 deliveries. The next test for that production plan will come from airline induction and deployment, not only factory output. (geaerospace.com) Boeing’s investor news page shows the company continued to book 787 orders in 2026, including deals with Delta Air Lines, Ethiopian Airlines and Sun PhuQuoc Airways. (aviationweek.com) In 2026, Boeing is targeting a 787 production rate of 10 a month from North Charleston, while airlines including British Airways and Air New Zealand continue to manage around engine supply and maintenance constraints. (investors.boeing.com 1) (investors.boeing.com 2)