Emirates Won’t Order The Airbus A350-1000

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark has reopened the Airbus A350-1000 engine debate and has once again centred his focus on the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, with which he has had many grievances.

The reopening of a long-standing spat continues to reflect the Dubai-based carrier’s belief that the engines would not be able to withstand Dubai’s heat and sand without chewing through the laid-out maintenance budgets.

The opinion that the airline has called on Rolls-Royce to prove wouldn’t be the case has, despite persistent reported interest and possible deals, meant that Emirates has yet to commit to the A350-1000 with an order, let alone to the delivery of the high-capacity jet.

Given that Emirates has an extensive backlog of next-generation widebodies and certainly an intent to focus on delivering high-capacity ones at that to feed its hub-and-spoke model, the absence of Airbus’ largest in-production jet is notable.

Emirates President Clark Speaks Again

At the recent IATA AGM in Rio de Janeiro, Clark said that the story of the XWB-97 engine with Rolls-Royce remains as it has long been: one that is preventing the business from ordering the A350-1000 on the condition that durability can be fixed.

His comments came at the same time as United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, whose carrier has long held an order for the A350 without deliveries, criticised the monopoly Rolls had on the A350 variant, which allowed it to be complacent and neglect performance and contracts.

Now, Clark stresses that an order for the A350-1000 will still not be placed because Rolls-Royce refuses to fix the durability issues it has flagged, pointing to its performance in the hot, dusty conditions of the Gulf. This is a market where Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways both already fly the Airbus A350-1000.

At the same time, Clark has now moved to the engine manufacturer’s leadership team, with a pay package of millions for Rolls‑Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic, all the while they continue to pursue high engine prices, a crumbling shop capacity, and reliability gaps.

His comments are grouped into a point of view that emphasises the work that engine manufacturers need to do, that is to be better as they gouge airlines on parts and services while also not putting forward the best product, or reliability that aids in this case, the customers being airlines.

Rolls-Royce Responds To Emirates

Rolls-Royce, however, pushed back on Clark’s more recent comments on Erginbiligc’s pay, declining to comment but being upfront that the idea that the XWB-97 was defective was ludicrous.

The technological advancements on the programme, and certainly for the high-thrust XWB-97s that Rolls have been pushing, are seen, according to a spokesperson, as key to improving the platform’s durability and thus the time on wing rather than in the shop.

However, Emirates clapped back, stating that while it acknowledged Rolls was working hard to resolve the complaints, it would not become a test case in the industry for these incremental upgrades to determine whether they have a positive or negative impact.

Ultimately, the upgrades being pushed are enhancements that promise to double durability in hot, dusty environments, which means there’s a 50% improvement for flying in these harsher conditions. They aim to address the exact stresses that Emirates has put forward, thereby preventing a commitment.

The changes focus on more sand-resistant coatings on some of the core components and on finding ways to achieve cooler hardware running for the turbines. The new research and retrofitting of existing engines are all part of efforts to expand capacity, reliability, and the product’s image.

Emirates’ Years Of Friction With The A350-1000 & Engines

Emirates’ frustration with Rolls-Royce over the XWB-97 engines on the A350-1000 isn’t limited to these June 2026 comments; it has been a long-standing industry grievance that has repeatedly surfaced, as Clark hasn’t been afraid to share his opinions.

The costs and complexity of the engines have been a key catalyst as to why a commitment for the higher-capacity A350 model has not been placed, despite persistent reporting that the airline was interested or nearing a deal before ultimately talks would fall through, and nothing would be placed.

These orders, just like United Airlines, paint the A350-1000 and broader family, which Emirates flies in the A350-900 as a great platform with strong performance, but it’s the engines in the XWB-97s on the larger model that Clark has reaffirmed do not do what he wants.

Additionally, with the engines staying on the wing for only about a quarter of the hours, this is a sharp reduction compared to other units and means that the hours Emirates would see the engines in the shop from an early age outweigh the benefits of bringing the larger jet on.

Where the frustration lies is Emirates’ pursuit of next-generation widebodies, and specifically a push to secure more high-capacity jets, where, without the world’s largest passenger plane in production, and a fleet ageing set for a 2040s complete retirement, alternatives need to be flying.

Ultimately, despite Rolls-Royce’s efforts to fix issues, Clark has repeatedly said his position remains unchanged. While they like the A350-1000 and praise the platform it offers, the XWB-97 engines mean he cannot sign a contract until the data from the changes is revealed. That data is across real, genuine Gulf conditions, where heat and sand play a role in efficiency/reliability.