Airbus A350-1000 Orders Axed

Airbus has reported further adjustments to its order book with commitments for the A350-1000 slashed.

In its latest monthly figures, Air France-KLM was revealed as the customer that had reduced its order for the high-capacity model of the flagship product produced by the planemaker.

However, instead of simply reducing its orderbook, the carrier is looking to adjust its future fleet composition with the A350-1000s being converted towards the A350-900s.

The move sees the airline’s future A350 makeup include 47 of the A350-900s, but three of the high-capacity A350-1000 jets; this is a reduction from a previous commitment for 11 of the A350-1000.

The change from the European airline Group follows a deal in September 2023 that was announced, which involved the purchase of 50 more of the widebody jets to elevate long-haul flying.

At the time of the order, Air France-KLM said the purchase of more Airbus aircraft, specifically for the flagship widebody, would help replace some of the older widebodies in the Group, such as A330S and 777s, and notably would see the deployment of the A350 to KLM for the first time.

The allocation of Airbus aircraft was pivotal for the flexibility of the Group’s future, and it also included the A350-1000 for the first time. The reliance on this high-capacity jet is now being reduced.

Other Airbus Order Change

Air France-KLM’s order adjustment for the A350-1000 wasn’t the only change reported by Airbus as part of its most recent order and deliveries news for July 2025.

Additionally, Martinair, part of the Air France-KLM and acting as a key cargo operator, trimmed its commitment to the Airbus A350F by reducing its future commitment by one unit.

A decision by the Group to formally confirm its order reduction to this freighter does not come as a shock, the Group saying in March it would scale back its orderbook for the upcoming dedicated freighter.

This move followed several delays to the freighter program, which have been published across recent years, and also studies into the future of the business, fleet makeup and strategies.

Air France-KLM’s order tally stood at eight, with the decision made to decrease this to six, as reported by Air Cargo News at the time. The original split would’ve been down the middle, with four heading to Air France Cargo, the other four to Martinair, that figure not having reduced.

What About July’s Figures?

Ultimately, across July, the European planemaker delivered 67 aircraft to 41 customers and booked seven gross orders in what represented a quieter month; however, this was to be expected.

The order figures were lower following the June 2025 edition of the Paris Airshow, which saw the planemaker confirm many new commercial aircraft orders; thus, a slower month is certainly more typical following this.

While orders are not the primary concern as demand remains robust across the industry, the planemakers’ deliveries are the bigger focus as targets of 820 commercial aircraft deliveries exist for the 2025 calendar year.

With just five months left in the calendar year, Airbus would need to deliver 447 planes, with an average of around 89 aircraft each month, a figure which has been significantly higher than what has been capable throughout this year to date.

Airbus’ inability to meet delivery targets follows a more challenging year than may have been expected, due to the continued unreliability of supply chains, which hinders the assembly of new aircraft for eventual shipment to airline customers.

Therefore, to hit the 2025 target, there’ll be an uphill challenge for the business, but optimism remains, as the figure has not been reduced yet, supported by executives.