Trent: Facts & figures

* That 70 tons (71.12 tonnes) of air passes through a Trent jet engine every minute -- roughly the same as 160,000 people exhaling at the same time.

* The fuel economy compares with that of a family car in terms of miles per passenger gallon -- and is 20 times more fuel efficient than a racing car!

* Weighing in at around six tons, the Trent produces 5lb (about 2.3kg) of thrust for every pound of weight.

* The fan diameter is over nine feet (approximately 2.7 meters), allowing the world's tallest man to stand comfortably inside the front of the engine.

* Total power produced by the three shafts is 200,000 horsepower -- equivalent to that of 3,000 family cars.

* The fan tips travel at more than 1,000mph (1,609km), 40 percent faster than the speed of sound, and the load on the root of each blade is 95 tons -- or 10 London buses.

* A version of the Trent has been developed to generate electrical power: it is the world's most powerful aero-derived industrial engine. Four industrial Trents can provide enough electricity to power a city the size of Derby (with a total population of about 216,000).