The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was developed with two engine options because both GE Aerospace and Rolls-Royce offered competitive and attractive engine options, while Pratt & Whitney’s offer was less attractive. At the same time, unlike Airbus with the A350, Boeing was willing to invest the extra money needed to develop its aircraft to have both engine options.
It used to be normal for widebody aircraft to have two or three engine options, although the Boeing 787 was the last widebody aircraft designed with multiple engine options. Since then (2011), the A350 (2015) is exclusively powered by the RR Trent XWB, the A330neo (2018) is exclusively powered by the RR Trent 7000, and the upcoming 777X (expected 2027) is exclusively powered by the GEnx. Let’s examine why Boeing selected two engines for the Dreamliner.
The 787 Is The Only Modern Boeing Jet With Rolls-Royce Engines
These days, new-build Boeing commercial aircraft are almost exclusively equipped with GE Aerospace engines (or associated CFM engines). The final orders for freighter versions of the Boeing 767-300F and 777F have GE engines, although the military KC-46A variant of the 767 has Pratt & Whitney engines. The upcoming 777X is to be exclusively powered by GE engines, while the popular narrowbody Boeing 737 MAX is exclusively powered by CFM International LEAP-1B engines.
CFM International is a 50/50 joint venture with France’s Safran. The GE Aerospace and Safran alliance is one of the most successful engine alliances in history. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner stands out for being the only Boeing commercial jet in production today to have a Rolls-Royce engine option. Even so, as fate has it, RR’s Trent 1000 proved problematic, and now almost all new orders are for Dreamliners with the GE option.
This underscores the close relationship GE and Boeing share. Meanwhile, Pratt & Whitney has moved out of the widebody engine market and is focusing on its GTF geared turbine that exclusively powers the Embraer E-Jet E2 series, the Airbus A220, and is an option for the A320neo. Rolls-Royce has moved out of the narrowbody market, but is the primary engine supplier for Airbus widebody aircraft, while also making bespoke engines for business jets.
Why Manufacturers May Want Multiple Engines
There are several reasons why planemakers want to have multiple engines for their jets. One is that new aircraft engines can have extremely disruptive teething problems. Having two engines allows for flexibility for airlines to select the other engine type. This is happening with the A320neo, where the PW GTF has suffered from programs that have led to aircraft being grounded.
Such developments contribute to an engine shortage, resulting in six-year-old aircraft being broken up because their engines are worth as much as the entire aircraft. This has also happened with the Dreamliner, where the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 turbofan has suffered intermediate-pressure turbine blade cracking and other durability problems. Had Boeing only developed the 787 with Trent 1000, then these issues would have affected the whole fleet.
|
In-production widebody airliners’ engine options (Per Airbus & Boeing) |
|
|---|---|
|
Airbus A330neo |
Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 |
|
Airbus A350 |
Rolls-Royce Trent XWB |
|
Boeing 767 |
GE CF6 (freighter), PW4000 (military tanker) |
|
Boeing 777F |
GE90 |
|
Boeing 777X |
GEnx (upcoming) |
|
Boeing 787 |
GE9X, Trent 1000 |
The effect on the Dreamliner is mitigated by having an alternative engine. Another motivation is that airlines may enjoy close relations with either GE Aerospace or Rolls-Royce, and they may want to preserve engine commonality in their fleet.
Having two engines makes the aircraft more appealing to a greater range of customers. It allows airlines to continue their Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul contracts with their preferred suppliers. It is also worth noting that Rolls-Royce and GE Aerospace have different design philosophies, and airlines may prefer one over the other.
787-8 Vs 787-9 Vs 787-10: How The Dreamliner Variants Differ
The three 787 variants are tailored to different market segments to fill niches and offer a placement for different previous-generation aircraft.
Why Manufacturers Select One Engine Exclusively
The nacelles, pylons, flight-test hours, and certification all need their own development and programs for each engine. This drives up the cost of an aircraft by hundreds of millions of dollars. Part of the reason why Boeing and Airbus have chosen to exclusively power their latest aircraft with a single engine type is an attempt to save on development costs. Another consideration is that by having only one engine, engineers can optimize the aircraft for that specific engine.
This can also result in better supplier terms as well as program simplicity. However, having just one engine makes the aircraft more vulnerable to after-market problems. For example, the upcoming 777X will be exclusively powered by the GE9X, but if that engine has problems like the Trent 1000 or PW GTF did, then that will affect the whole program. There will not be another option for the 777X, and Boeing may soon struggle to find new sales for the aircraft.
Put another way, having two engines is ‘hedging the bets’ and an ‘insurance policy,’ but it is also expensive for the planemaker, making the overall program much more expensive. It should also be remembered that Boeing enjoys a deep relationship with GE Aerospace.
Why No Pratt & Whitney Engines?
In recent years, Pratt & Whitney has stepped back from developing widebody engines and has focused on its engines for narrowbody aircraft, like its GTF. This has left GE Aerospace and Rolls-Royce in a state of duopoly in the widebody engine market. GE Aerospace now powers almost all of Boeing’s new-build commercial aircraft, while RR is the only engine option for Airbus’ A330neo and A350 widebody aircraft.
With that being said, the legacy Pratt & Whitney PW4000 remains in production for the US Air Force KC-46A tankers. Pratt & Whitney used to be a major player with widebody aircraft. Its PW4000 family powered the 747-400, 767, early 777s, and many A300/A310/A330 variants. It was also a major participant in the A380 program, partnering with GE in the Engine Alliance to produce the GP7200.
Today, P&W concentrates on geared turbines for narrowbody aircraft and engines for military aircraft, and it has not developed a successor to the PW4000 engine. The costs of developing a widebody engine run into the billions and are extremely risky. Still, P&W did bid for the Boeing 787 program, but, in April 2004, Boeing announced that General Electric (now GE Aerospace) and Rolls-Royce were the winners.
The full details of why Boeing did not select P&W are unclear, but it is clear that it viewed P&W’s technical/business offer as less competitive. P&W also competed for the A350 through its Engine Alliance, offering a version of the GP7000, but it was also not selected. Losing the chance to make engines for these aircraft has increased the barrier to P&W in developing a next-generation widebody engine, meaning that (at least for now) it is out of the game.
Comparing The 2 Boeing 787 Dreamliner Engines
The Boeing 787 comes with both GE and Rolls-Royce engine options, although GE’s engines have become more popular in recent times.
Going Forward, The Boeing 787 May Yet Be Exclusively Powered After All
In the first years after launch, around two-thirds of the orders were for GE’s GEnx-1B, and the other third being for the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000. After the Tent 1000’s programs came to light, orders for that engine type fell off a cliff. As of the time of writing, Boeing lists an order backlog of 1,048 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Of these, 585 are for the GEnx option, and only 40 remain for the Trent 1000, with over half of those being for Lufthansa. The remaining 423 orders are not stated.
It seems it is too late for the Dreamliner’s Trent 1000. In October 2025, IBA Insights wrote that Rolls-Royce has taken steps to address issues with the engines with improvements to the HPT Blade and HP Nozzle to be introduced in 2026. IBA says it “forecasts a broader gap between the Trent 1000 and GEnx-1B as we progress to the end of this decade.”
According to IBA’s analysis, the ship has already sailed for Rolls-Royce with the Dreamliner. The consensus is that, despite its engine improvements, it is too late for the Trent 1000 to regain the lost market share.
The value forecast for these engines listed by IBA reflects the expected transition from in-production to out-of-production for the Dreamliner’s Trent 1000 past 2030. If this actually happens, then the Dreamliner will essentially become another exclusively powered aircraft after all, or at least for new production models.
The End Of An Era
Another interesting question to ask could be why aircraft after the 787 (except the Airbus A320neo) have come exclusively powered by a single engine. Up until the 787, it was normal for aircraft to have two or three engine options. Indeed, the A380 had two options, the 767 had two or three (depending on the variant), early model 777s had two or three, A330s had three, and the 747-400 had two or three.
With that being said, Boeing was moving toward producing aircraft with a single GE Aerospace option. The 777-300ER (2004), 777-200LR (2005), and 747-8 (2011) entered service with a single-engine option. The 747-8 entered service the same year as the 787 in 2011. The Boeing 737 MAX entered service in 2017, replacing the Boeing 737NG, which was also exclusively powered by CFM engines.
By the time the 787 was developed, manufacturers had stopped designing aircraft with three-engine options and were in a sort of transition period between having one or two-engine options. In the end, the Dreamliner came with two engines because two engine manufacturers offered attractive proposals, while Boeing was also willing to invest the money to design the aircraft with two engines.
