LATAM Airlines takes delivery of GEnx-powered Boeing 787, ending Trent 1000 exclusivity

LATAM Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 powered by the GE Aerospace GEnx engines, marking the beginning of its 787 fleet being powered by two engine families, the GEnx and the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000.

On December 30, 2025, LATAM Airlines took delivery of its first-ever 787-9 that has two GEnx engines on its wings, with the Chile-based airline group previously exclusively operating 787s powered by the Trent 1000.

In a statement on LinkedIn on January 8, 2026, Roberto Alvo, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LATAM Airlines, shared that the airline’s first GEnx-equipped 787-9 arrived at Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL).

“More than a technological milestone, it is a concrete sign of where we are taking the LATAM fleet: an increasingly modern, more efficient, and more sustainable fleet.”

According to Alvo, GE Aerospace’s figures suggested that the GEnxs reduce fuel consumption by 15%, resulting in lower emissions and noise footprint, compared to previous-generation aircraft.

With the delivery of the 787-9, registered as CC-BMB, the airline group ended 2025 with 26 new aircraft in its fleet, Alvo added. The CEO detailed that in 2026, LATAM Airlines is scheduled to take delivery of another 41 new airplanes, including its first Embraer E195-E2, and 27 in 2027, including its first Airbus A321XLR.

In an earlier interview with AeroTime, Alvo stated that the group is still evaluating the best routes for where to deploy the A321XLRs, yet noted that the type is perfectly suited to fly from Fortaleza Pinto Martins International Airport (FOR) to any city in the United States.

Planespotters.net records showed that LATAM Airlines now has 38 787s, including 10 787-8 and 28 787-9 aircraft. 37 of those are powered by the Trent 1000, including the group’s first 787-8, registered as CC-BBA, which Boeing delivered to the airline in August 2012, when it was still LAN Airlines before its merger with Brazil’s TAM Linhas Aéreas.

LATAM Airlines announced the introduction of the second engine family on its 787 fleet in December 2023. The group then ordered five additional 787-9s, boasting that it became “the first airline group in South America to have these engines known for their high performance and efficiency.”

“With this order, together with the already scheduled deliveries of this model in the upcoming years, LATAM group will reach a total of 46 Boeing 787 airplanes.”

Dave Kircher, the General Manager for the GEnx program, said that while customers have two options when selecting engines for their 787s, the GEnx “is at least 1.4% more fuel-efficient” than the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 “for a nominal 787 mission,” resulting in estimated $300,000 fuel savings per aircraft per year.

“It also equates to a reduction of 2.2 million pounds of CO2  per aircraft annually. It’s an incredible part of our efforts to a more sustainable future,” Kircher added, noting that the GEnx will “keep working for our customers.”

LATAM Airlines is not the only carrier that has switched its engine suppliers for its 787s. Air Tanzania, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, and THAI Airways currently have fleets with both GEnx and Trent 1000-powered 787 aircraft.

While some have taken delivery of second-hand 787s that have different engines than their original aircraft, other airlines have made the switch to the GEnx for their new 787s. The performance difference, outlined by GE Aerospace, was not the only reason, as the Trent 1000s have struggled to be reliable.

At least before Rolls-Royce started to figure things out and improve the reliability of the engines, including the upgraded high-pressure turbine (HPT) blades, which were certified in June 2025.

The new blades “more than double time on wing for this engine,” Rolls-Royce stated in November 2025, with the upgraded parts being fitted on new and already-delivered engines throughout the engine maker’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) network.

“Maturity testing has been completed on the next phase of durability improvements for the Trent 1000 and Trent 7000. These improvements remain on track to be certified by the end of 2025 and will increase time on wing of these engines by a further 30%.”

Perhaps the most painful customer loss for Rolls-Royce was British Airways, with the two companies sharing a long history, with the former’s engines powering the latter’s current and former aircraft, such as the 747-400, 757, or Airbus A380.

Currently, the British carrier has 42 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 aircraft, all of which have two Trent 1000s on their wings. However, during the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2024, GE Aerospace announced that British Airways had chosen the GEnx to power six of its incoming 787s.

The International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of the British airline, noted that the decision to select the GEnx affirmed “the confidence we have in the GEnx engine and 787 aircraft combination.”

British Airways had to publicly admit that issues with the Trent 1000 had forced it to temporarily adjust its schedules. In late 2024, it began informing stakeholders, including passengers, that it was removing some routes for the summer 2025 season, including flights from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) or Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

In a statement at the time, the carrier outlined that the temporary changes had been made as it had continued to experience delivery delays “of engines and parts from Rolls-Royce – particularly in relation to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines fitted to our 787 aircraft.”

It has since returned to some of the routes, including to AUH and DFW.