It was first selected by Cathay Pacific in April 1989, first ran in summer 1992,[1] was certified in January 1994[3] and was put into service on 24 March 1995.

When Airbus launched its A330 twin-jet in June 1987, its only engine options included the General Electric CF6-80C2 and the Pratt & Whitney PW4000.

[8] By February 1992, design work was completed for the 97.4 in (247 cm) fan, 67,000–72,000 lbf (300–320 kN) Trent 700 and the first test was scheduled for July.

[9] By then, the earlier 94.6 in (240 cm) fan, 65,000–67,000 lbf (290–300 kN) Trent 600 for the MD-11 was abandoned due to lack of customers.

These included elliptical leading edges and optimised fan and high-pressure turbine tip clearances.

[15] Rolls-Royce claims that the Trent 700 has the lowest life cycle fuel burn, and is the quietest and cleanest engine available on the A330.

By July 2018, the Trent 700 had flown 50 million hours[17] and Rolls-Royce claimed a 60% market share.