On 6 August 2019, with our Half Year Results, we cautioned that the rate of recovery in Trent 1000 Aircraft On Ground (AOG) this year was likely to be slower than our original plans, due to the additional Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) load resulting from faster deterioration of the high pressure turbine (HPT) blade on the Trent 1000 TEN. This has remained a challenge.

Since then, we have also taken a proactive decision to accelerate intermediate pressure turbine (IPT) blade replacement for the limited number of Package B and C engines yet to be fitted with the final standard of IPT blade. This has led to additional engine removals. As a result, though we continue to work on further increasing our MRO capacity, these challenges mean that we now expect the return to single-digit level of AOGs on the Trent 1000 to be delayed until Q2 2020. We deeply regret the additional disruption that this will cause our customers and we continue to work closely with them to minimise the impact on their operations.

Our guidance for the cash costs of the Trent 1000 Package B and C in-service issues in 2019 and 2020 remains as announced on 6 August 2019.