Airbus Confirms A350 News

Airbus is sticking firm with its A350 Freighter launch timeframe, according to fresh comments.

Crawford Hamilton, who has the role of the head of freighter market at Airbus, said that, so far, an EIS for the upcoming dedicated freighter remains on track for the 2nd half of 2027.

Comments shared with Leeham News and Analysis, a reputable trade publication, indicated that, while many rumours are circulating, they’re still on track.

All relevant requirements have been met, and the planemaker is continuing to work towards the remaining approvals from the likes of the EASA and FAA to get the plane in the skies with customers in the second half of 2027.

The reaffirming nature of Hamilton’s comments follows uncertainty among customers of the expected freighter, who have held a more negative view of when the aircraft will launch with them, hinting at 2028.

The Airbus A350 Freighter Delays

Airbus confirmed at the beginning of this year, in February, that its upcoming A350 Freighter would be delayed to the second half of 2027.

Before the formal confirmation arrived, there was much speculation about the jet’s debut and whether the previously revised timeframes would be met.

Airbus had long held out hope that its A350F would debut in 2026 with freight customers, and that this would follow a first flight targeted for the backend of this year.

However, as Airbus continued to face supply chain discomfort throughout 2024 and into early 2025, confirmation arrived that it would be pushing back the launch of the dedicated freighter to give it the time neccesary to stabilise.

With that in mind, at the beginning of October, the planemaker confirmed that the model had formally entered assembly after several fuselage sections and additional parts were delivered from European sites to Toulouse to enable production.

The jet, a larger dedicated freighter than previous models, represents an important step for the planemaker as it seeks to take more market share from Boeing, which has long held a firm grip on this part of the industry.

While the A350F will prove an important aircraft for operators seeking to grow their fleet with a larger, more efficient plane, Airbus is also aware it’ll be going up against the direct competitor in the 777-8F, which has also been delayed as a consequence of Boeing being unable to get its 777-9 passenger model certified nearly 13 years after first being launched.

Customers Respond To Delays

It has been quite the period for the Airbus A350F, with CMA CGM in August confirming that it would become the newest launch customer for the upcoming freighter model.

The development represented a shift following Air Lease Corporation’s cancellation of its long-standing order for the A350F after news of the delays emerged, with this leading lessor saying its focus would be strictly on passenger operations moving forward.

Air France-KLM also stated throughout this year that it would reduce the number of dedicated freighters it would take delivery of, notably as visible in July’s trimming of an order destined for Martinair.

The reality for some operators is that cargo demand has shifted and isn’t growing at the rate it once was. As a result, this has necessitated a review of backlogs for dedicated freighter operations and, at times, led to cancellations.

With that being said, Airbus remains very confident in this program, which has attracted not just orders from many customers but a fair amount of interest from other freight operators that are yet to purchase the plane themselves and are still in the RFP phase.