Airbus delays A350 freighter launch to 2027

The entry into service of Airbus’ new A350F has slipped to the second half of 2027 from 2026, another setback in a freighter market that is already suffering from a lack of large-widebody capacity. The entry into service (EIS) delay is mostly because of persisting supply chain challenges with Spirit AeroSystems, which produces center fuselage sections, front spars and fixed leading edges for A350s, Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said during Airbus’ annual results press conference today. [caption id="attachment_57148902" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Airbus has received orders for sixty-three A350Fs. (Photo/Cargo Facts)[/caption] In addition to the bottleneck at Spirit, some production tooling systems have suffered from ongoing worldwide supply chain issues along with the shortage in personnel, Airbus told Cargo Facts . Another factor behind the adjusted timeline for the A350F program is continued incorporation, maturation and refinement of features resulting from customer input, Airbus said, pointing to the A350F’s cargo door that will be the largest side cargo door on a jet freighter. First freighter comes together Despite the delayed EIS, the first flight test aircraft (700) will still enter the final assembly line in Toulouse in 2025, Airbus confirmed to Cargo Facts . Airbus continues to make progress on unit 700. The company said in January that it had almost completed the freighter’s first two engine pylons, which have been stiffened compared to the passenger versions, and will soon send them to the Toulouse site to be fitted onto the aircraft. In November 2024, Airbus said it had modified some final assembly stations to account for specific differences between the passenger and freighter variants. The A350F orderbook stood at sixty-three units as of Jan. 31. Airbus received orders for eight A350Fs in January , five from Starlux Airlines and three from an unidentified customer that Cargo Facts believes is Etihad Airways. Widebody freighter delays The last time Airbus announced a delay to the A350F program was in May 2023, when it pushed EIS back a few months to early 2026 . Airbus still aims to reach a production rate of twelve A350s — including both freighter and passenger versions — per month in 2028, and the European planemaker will prioritize its activities in 2025 to focus on ramping up its commercial production, Faury said during the press conference. Airbus announced a deal in July 2024 to acquire Spirit AeroSystems’ facilities that produce Airbus parts after Boeing announced that it would acquire Spirit. The companies said at the time that they expected to complete the transaction in mid-2025. Airbus is not alone in suffering production setbacks. Boeing announced in October 2024 that its new 777-8F will enter into service in 2028 instead of 2027 . Meanwhile, IAI has yet to receive its STC for the 777-300ERSF and Mammoth Freighters will soon begin test flights with its first 777-200LRMF conversion. Amid the tight large-widebody market and the lack of options, carriers and lessors have turned to production 777Fs. Boeing had a good year with the current-generation freighter in 2024 , selling thirty-five units and posting record monthly orders for the type in both June and September. Register now for Cargo Facts' essential regional events for industry stakeholders: Cargo Facts Asia 2025 on March 24-26 at the W Shanghai in China; and Cargo Facts EMEA 2025 on May 6-8 at the Shangri-La Bosphorus in Turkey.

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