Air Lease cancels A350F order

Air Lease has canceled its order for seven A350Fs, leaving just one lessor on the backlog for Airbus’s new freighter program. The net number of A350Fs on order grew by three in June after Saudi Arabia-based AviLease’s firm order for ten units , announced at the Paris Air Show 2025, according to the latest monthly orders and deliveries summary Airbus released today. [caption id="attachment_57290146" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Air Lease was the first lessor to order the A350F. (Courtesy/Airbus)[/caption] Air Lease placed its order for seven A350Fs on Dec. 30, 2021, after announcing a letter of intent with Airbus at the Dubai Airshow in November that year, according to the European planemaker’s backlog. Cargo Facts estimates that the seven A350Fs were worth between $3 billion and $4 billion at list prices, although Air Lease would have received substantial discounts. Airbus declined to comment on the cancellation, saying only that Air Lease remains a major customer with a backlog of around 170 Airbus aircraft and orders totaling nearly 500 aircraft covering all Airbus families, from the A220 to the A350. Losing Air Lease The Los Angeles-based lessor was one of the first customers to commit to the new freighter type. The order was significant as Air Lease — the third-largest aircraft lessor in the world by fleet size, according to KPMG — had not been involved in the freighter segment. Even today, Air Lease’s participation in freighters is minimal. Most recently, Air Lease took redelivery of its first A330-200P2F (1252) after conversion with EFW in Dresden (DRS). That 2011-vintage, CF6-powered aircraft will soon enter service with Mexico-based Awesome Cargo . Air Lease has another A330-200P2F (1218) nearing completion at DRS for Awesome Cargo and a third (1225) will soon begin conversion there. Losing Air Lease is a setback for Airbus, which had hoped to attract more lessor involvement in the A350F program. Still, interest from AviLease is clear, with that lessor holding options for up to twelve more A350Fs. The backlog for the A350F stood at sixty-six units as of June 30, according to Airbus. Apart from AviLease, the other customers are all operators: Starlux Airlines and Etihad Airways each with ten on order, although three of Etihad’s still show as unidentified; CMA CGM , with eight on order; Singapore Airlines , with seven on order; Cathay Pacific , with six on order; Turkish Airlines , with five on order; Air France and Martinair , each with four on order, although parent Air France-KLM said it had canceled two ; and Silk Way West Airlines , with two on order. Meanwhile, Turkey’s MNG Airlines announced a memorandum of understanding for two A350Fs at the Paris show in June. Airbus expects to begin final assembly of the prototype A350F soon, with test flights beginning in 2026 and entry into service in the second half of 2027 . Cargo Facts Symposium, the quintessential event for stakeholders and key leaders in the global freighter and air cargo industries, will take place Oct. 22-24 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville . Learn more and register today to take advantage of the early-bird rate.

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