Airbus said last week the first version of the aircraft, the middle-sized A350-900, would be out in late 2013 as planned.
A major engine overhaul would be a climbdown for Airbus and Rolls, which had defended the Trent XWB as a good all-rounder. The XWB is a cousin of the Trent 900 that blew up on an A380 last year.
Rolls-Royce could be forced to examine modifying the core of the engine for the A350-1000, the hottest and most sophisticated part of a jet engine that eats up most development spending.
That is because other changes, such as increasing the size of its already massive 3-metre (118 inch) fan, are difficult to carry out without altering the structure of the plane, leading to even more costs, a senior industry source told Reuters.
"This is definitely not what you would call a light change," another source familiar with the proposals said.
This rethink on the A350, which has gone through repeated redesigns, is the latest throw of the dice between Airbus and Boeing in a market for wide-body, twinjet long-haul planes estimated to be worth $1.6 trillion over 20 years.
Airbus has had the 777 in its sights ever since Boeing wrongfooted the European company by developing wide-body planes with two engines instead of four in the 1990s. The arrival of the 777 smothered sales of the four-engined Airbus A340 except for ultra-long distances or especially demanding conditions.
The planemakers are involved in a parallel struggle for advantage in the market for medium-haul narrow-body planes, which Boeing estimates at $1.7 trillion over the next 20 years.
An A350 engine boost could prompt Boeing to respond by updating its 777 plane, which in turn may force it to scale down plans for a redesign of its best-selling 737 narrowbody jet.
"The 777 is a key market segment if only in terms of the numbers of aircaft needed to replace old ones. With high oil prices airlines can't afford to fly old technology aircraft and expansion will also be driven by the latest technology," said Peter Morris, chief economist at UK consultancy Ascend Aviation.
Rolls' rival General Electric is the monopoly supplier on the current key 777 model, the Boeing 777-300ER
A major engine overhaul would be a climbdown for Airbus and Rolls, which had defended the Trent XWB as a good all-rounder. The XWB is a cousin of the Trent 900 that blew up on an A380 last year.
Rolls-Royce could be forced to examine modifying the core of the engine for the A350-1000, the hottest and most sophisticated part of a jet engine that eats up most development spending.
That is because other changes, such as increasing the size of its already massive 3-metre (118 inch) fan, are difficult to carry out without altering the structure of the plane, leading to even more costs, a senior industry source told Reuters.
"This is definitely not what you would call a light change," another source familiar with the proposals said.
This rethink on the A350, which has gone through repeated redesigns, is the latest throw of the dice between Airbus and Boeing in a market for wide-body, twinjet long-haul planes estimated to be worth $1.6 trillion over 20 years.
Airbus has had the 777 in its sights ever since Boeing wrongfooted the European company by developing wide-body planes with two engines instead of four in the 1990s. The arrival of the 777 smothered sales of the four-engined Airbus A340 except for ultra-long distances or especially demanding conditions.
The planemakers are involved in a parallel struggle for advantage in the market for medium-haul narrow-body planes, which Boeing estimates at $1.7 trillion over the next 20 years.
An A350 engine boost could prompt Boeing to respond by updating its 777 plane, which in turn may force it to scale down plans for a redesign of its best-selling 737 narrowbody jet.
"The 777 is a key market segment if only in terms of the numbers of aircaft needed to replace old ones. With high oil prices airlines can't afford to fly old technology aircraft and expansion will also be driven by the latest technology," said Peter Morris, chief economist at UK consultancy Ascend Aviation.
Rolls' rival General Electric is the monopoly supplier on the current key 777 model, the Boeing 777-300ER
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