TOULOUSE- Airbus still expects the A350F freighter to fly during 2026, but the manufacturer has replaced its earlier third-quarter target with a broader year-end window.
The aircraft is being assembled in Toulouse (TLS), with more than 100 firm orders on the books from carriers including Air France (AF), Cathay Pacific (CX), Singapore Airlines (SQ), Etihad Airways (EY) and STARLUX Airlines (JX).
Airbus A350F First Flight
Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury addressed the programme during the company’s half-year briefing on 29 July, saying the freighter remains on track to fly “before the end of this year”.
That wording is looser than the guidance Airbus gave previously. Late last year the airframer was working toward a third-quarter 2026 maiden flight, and that target was still in place at the end of 2025. The same schedule applied in April, when Airbus took delivery of the first main-deck cargo door, although there were already signs the date could move into the fourth quarter.
The current phrasing gives Airbus the full remainder of the calendar year rather than a defined three-month period.
Faury said the first flight will open a “very dense” flight-test programme.
Airbus continues to target certification and first delivery “ideally” by the end of 2027. Production ramp-up would follow, and Faury said the company could reach deliveries in “rather significant numbers as soon as 2028”.
The qualifier attached to the 2027 date matters, because a first flight late in 2026 would leave little more than a year for a full certification campaign with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Two Test Aircraft
Two flight-test aircraft, MSN700 and MSN701, are being assembled in Toulouse for the certification effort.
MSN700 completed an industrial roll-out in November 2025 and moved into ground testing, while parts for MSN701 began arriving at the Toulouse final assembly line, with its first flight expected around two to three months after the lead aircraft.
Airbus has structured the campaign as a 10 month, 400 hour flight test programme. Running two test aircraft in parallel is intended to reduce downtime and raise the rate of data gathering.
Key Structural Milestone
Airbus completed the first A350F main-deck cargo door at its Illescas facility in Spain and delivered it to the Toulouse final assembly line on 23 April 2026, where it is being integrated into the fuselage of the first test aircraft.
The door offers a 4.3m clear width and a 3.15m clear height, which Airbus describes as the largest in the industry.
Its structure uses composite materials, an industry first for a door of that size, and the opening and closing mechanism is electrically rather than hydraulically actuated.
How A350F Timeline Reached This Point
Airbus launched the A350F in July 2021 with entry into service then expected in 2026. The schedule has moved twice since.
In May 2023 the company shifted entry into service from the end of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026, which Faury described at the time as a matter of a few months tied to overall programme execution.
Then, at the full year 2024 results presentation in February 2025, Faury moved entry into service to the second half of 2027, citing supply chain pressure, notably at aerostructures supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
That adjustment amounted to a one year delay for the programme. The latest change is narrower in scope, because it moves the first flight without altering the stated delivery target.
What A350F Offers Cargo Operators
The A350F is a 5 frame, 3.2m shrink of the A350-1000 and uses the same Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines.
It is designed to carry up to 111 tonnes, with a range of 4,700nm or 8,700km at a 109-tonne payload, and Airbus claims 11% more volume than the competing aircraft.
More than 70% of the airframe uses advanced materials, which Airbus says makes the aircraft 46 tonnes lighter than competitors, and the company positions it as the only freighter fully meeting the ICAO carbon dioxide emissions standard taking effect in 2027.
The type will be cleared for up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel at entry into service, with 100% capability targeted by 2030.
Airbus holds firm orders for 107 A350F aircraft, according to Flight Global. The type is powered by the Trent XWB family used across the passenger A350 variants, giving operators engine and airframe commonality.
In February 2026 the backlog stood at 81 firm orders from 13 customers, and Airbus recorded 20 net A350F orders during 2025.
Identified customers include Air France, Air Lease Corporation, Cathay Pacific, CMA CGM, Etihad Airways, Martinair, Silk Way West Airlines, Singapore Airlines and STARLUX Airlines. Air Lease became the launch customer for the type.
Boeing 777-8F Faces Longer Wait
Measured in February 2026, the A350F held a 54% share of new large-freighter orders against the Boeing 777-8F, which had 68 orders from seven customers.
Boeing pushed the first 777-8F delivery to 2028 in October 2024, alongside a $2.6bn pre-tax charge, citing certification timelines on the 777-9 and the effects of the IAM work stoppage.
Boeing has given no firm assurance around the 2028 freighter date, and the passenger 777-9 is now set for first delivery in 2027. Qatar Airways is the 777-8F launch customer, having ordered 34 aircraft in January 2022.
Inside Wider Ramp-Up
The A350F update came alongside half-year results that Airbus used to reaffirm its production plans.
The company handed over 351 aircraft in the first 6 months of 2026, including 26 A350s and 10 A330s, and left its ramp-up projections unchanged.
Consolidated revenues rose 12% year on year to €33.2bn, and Airbus continues to target around 870 commercial aircraft deliveries for 2026.
The A350 line remains targeted at 12 aircraft per month in 2028, and Airbus said it is studying increases beyond that rate without committing to timing or location.
Airbus projects the dedicated freighter fleet will grow 45% by 2044, with demand for 935 new-build freighters.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News
