Are aircraft engines improving?
Yes, aircraft engines are becoming more and more efficient and are helping limit the impact of aviation on climate change. Continuing to improve efficiency is a key consideration for aircraft engine manufacturers. For example, Rolls-Royce, partnering with the University of Bristol, is researching the engineering and application of composite materials in engine design. These composite materials make engines significantly lighter and, therefore, reduce the amount of CO2 produced during a flight. Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000 engine, designed and built for the Boeing B787 Dreamliner, has 15% lower fuel burn than comparable engines of a decade ago, and delivers 40% lower emissions than required by current international legislation. Engine manufacturers are also cutting emissions of non-CO2 emissions such as oxides of nitrogen or NOx. For example, in the 1990s, the engine manufacturer CFM International pioneered the development of an ultra-low NOx combustor for aircraft, reducing NOx emissions b
