Rolls-Royce RB211
252 US-registered aircraft fly this program — 506 installed engines across 9 registry codes
Program snapshot(US registry)
9 registry engine codes aggregated
16 aircraft flying the RB211 left the US registry and stayed domestic since 2023 — a teardown proxy, not confirmed part-outs — at an average age of 28.6 years. 12 more were exported and left the US fleet intact.
FAA registry data, US-registered aircraft only. Deregs = domestic deregistrations — a teardown proxy that also captures re-registrations and some unflagged exports, never a confirmed part-out count. Median build year is a tails-weighted median of per-variant medians (≈). 186 of 252 active tails are registered under generic series codes rather than a specific variant, so per-variant splits are partial.
Registry codes under this program
FAA registry — as registered, variants + generic series rows
| Engine model | Active tails | Engine units | Median build yr | Deregs since ’23 | Exported | Avg age at dereg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB-211 seriesgeneric code | 186 | 372 | 1998 | 15 | 8 | 28.6 yr |
| RB211-535E4 | 42 | 84 | 1992 | 0 | 2 | 23.5 yr |
| RB-211-22 | 8 | 16 | 2002 | 0 | 0 | — |
| RB211-535E437 | 6 | 12 | 1990 | 1 | 2 | 28.7 yr |
| RB211535E4B37 | 4 | 8 | 1999 | 0 | 0 | — |
| RB211-524H-36 | 2 | 4 | 1991 | 0 | 0 | — |
| RB211-524HT36 | 2 | 4 | 1991 | 0 | 0 | — |
| RB211-22B-02 | 1 | 3 | 1974 | 0 | 0 | — |
| RB211-524B4 | 1 | 3 | 1974 | 0 | 0 | — |
Counts reflect the engine model exactly as registered. Registry-wide, roughly 57% of engine records name a specific variant; the rest carry generic series codes, so generic rows coexist with variant rows and per-variant figures are partial. Deregs = domestic deregistrations (a teardown proxy, not confirmed part-outs); exported aircraft left the US fleet intact. Rolls-Royce certificates Trent engines under RB211-Trent designations, and the registry's generic “RB-211 SERIES” code mixes classic RB211-535/-524 tails with Trent-powered 777s and A330s. Treat program totals as an upper bound; the airframe mix is the cleaner read.
Airframe applications
FAA registry + BTS T-100 family rollups
| Family | Tails on this program | Family US fleet | Avg fleet age | Built 15+ yrs ago | Avg cycles / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 757 | 193 | 449 | 31.1 yr | 407 | 509 |
| 767 | 4 | 565 | 21 yr | 323 | 477 |
“Tails on this program” counts US-registered aircraft the registry rollup maps to both the family and a RB211 engine code — an undercount, since not every tail resolves to a family. Family fleet, age, and cycles columns describe the WHOLE family across every engine option, not just RB211-powered aircraft (cycles from BTS T-100, 2025).
Airworthiness Directive activity
FAA / EASA public regulatory data
- FAA AD 2024-10-06effective Jun 27, 2024Mixed actions
The FAA is superseding four airworthiness directives (ADs) for all Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) Model RB211-535E4-37, RB211-535E4-B-37, and RB211-535E4-C-37 engines. The superseded ADs required recalculating the cyclic life for certain engine life-limited rotating parts and replacing those parts that have exceeded their cyclic life limit within specified compliance times. Since the FAA issued those ADs, the manufacturer has revised the engine time limits manual (TLM), introducing new and more restrictive instructions. This AD requires revising the airworthiness limitations section (ALS) of the existing approved maintenance or inspection program, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
- FAA AD 2024-07-04effective Apr 15, 2024Mixed actions
The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) Model RB211-524H-36 and RB211-524H-T-36 engines. This AD was prompted by reports of engine surges and a subsequent investigation which found that the surges may have been caused by material loss on the high-pressure compressor (HPC) stage 1 and stage 2 rotor path liners. This AD requires borescope inspections (BSIs) of the HPC stage 1 and stage 2 rotor path liners for material loss, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
- FAA AD 2023-22-01effective Dec 26, 2023Mixed actions
The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2020-15-07 for certain Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) (type certificate previously held by Rolls-Royce plc) Model RB211-524G2-19, RB211-524G2- T-19, RB211-524G3-19, RB211-524G3-T-19, RB211-524H2-19, RB211-524H2-T- 19, RB211-524H-36, and RB211-524H-T-36 engines. AD 2020-15-07 required replacement of the low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage 1 disk with part number (P/N) UL37606, UL37607, UL37608, UL37722, or UL37790, installed. This AD was prompted by an updated analysis by the engine manufacturer, which indicates certain part-numbered and serial-numbered LPT stage 1 disks that have undergone rework could fail before the current published life limits. This AD retains the requirement to replace the LPT stage 1 disk and includes additional LPT stage 1 disks, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
- FAA AD 2023-21-03effective Dec 11, 2023Mixed actions
The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2013-26-10 for certain Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) Model RB211- 524G2-19, RB211-524G3-19, RB211-524H-36, and RB211-524H2-19 engines. AD 2013-26-10 required a one-time reduction in the cyclic life of certain high-pressure compressor (HPC) rotor stage 1 and stage 2 disks, and removal of disks that exceed the reduced cycle life. Since the FAA issued AD 2013-26-10, the manufacturer has revised the engine time limits manual (TLM), introducing new and more restrictive instructions. This AD is prompted by the manufacturer revising the engine time limits manual, introducing new and more restrictive instructions. This AD requires revisions to the airworthiness limitations section (ALS) of the operator's existing approved engine maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
- FAA AD 2023-18-05effective Oct 30, 2023Mixed actions
The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) Model RB211-535C-37 engines. This AD is prompted by the manufacturer revising the existing engine time limits manual (TLM) to introduce new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations and associated thresholds and intervals for life-limited parts. This AD requires revising the airworthiness limitations section (ALS) of the operator's existing approved engine maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive instructions and associated thresholds and intervals for life-limited parts, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is proposed for incorporation by reference (IBR). The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
Directives in the FAA / EASA corpus we have processed whose text names RB211 engine models — not a complete historical AD list, and text matching can include airframe directives that reference the engine. An AD is a compliance requirement that drives scheduled work on a regulator's clock — a regulatory compliance signal, not a failure prediction, and no comment on this engine's reliability.