The invention relates to a gas turbine engine comprising a casing having a compressor section, combustion section and turbine section, axially arranged in a flow direction about a rotational axis of the engine. The engine includes a rotor located within the casing and rotatable about the rotational axis, including multiple sets of circumferentially arranged blades, with at least one set corresponding to the compressor section and another set corresponding to the turbine section. The engine also includes a set of vanes circumferentially arranged about the rotational axis and at a location upstream of the combustion section, with the vanes having a pressure side and a suction side. The engine further includes a cooling conduit extending from upstream of the combustion section to downstream of the combustion section, with an inlet located on the suction side of at least one of the vanes which allows cooling air to enter the inlet and is directed through the cooling conduit for cooling.