Airbus finishes A350F prototype’s horizontal stabilizer

Airbus has reached the next milestone in its new A350F program with the production of the horizontal stabilizer for the prototype aircraft. The Airbus facility in Getafe, Spain, completed the horizontal stabilizer on July 22, Airbus confirmed to Cargo Facts . [caption id="attachment_57290482" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] The horizontal stabilizers are built in Getafe, Spain. (Courtesy/Airbus)[/caption] A horizontal stabilizer is a crucial part of an aircraft’s tail assembly that provides stability and control. Another Airbus plant in Cadiz, Spain, made the parts for the horizontal stabilizer, the planemaker said in a release today. Airbus will soon transport the horizontal stabilizer to its final assembly line in Toulouse, France, where the first A350F (700) is taking shape. Final assembly will begin by yearend, according to Airbus. Unit 700 is the first of two A350Fs that Airbus will use for flight tests starting in 2026. Airbus declined to comment on the status of the horizontal stabilizer for the second aircraft. First A350 freighter takes shape The other major components of unit 700 are also coming together. Airbus completed the aircraft’s two wings at its facility in Broughton, Wales, in May. The Airbus Atlantic site in Montoir-de-Bretagne, France, joined the forward fuselage section to the nose and cockpit in April. Meanwhile, German supplier Premium Aerotec completed and delivered unit 700’s section 16/18 side shells, featuring the opening for the cargo door, to the Airbus facility in Hamburg in February. The Getafe facility also completed unit 700’s section 19 rear fuselage in November 2024. The A350F’s cargo door is also being built in Spain, according to Airbus. Airbus aims to deliver the first A350F in the second half of 2027 . After lessor Air Lease cancelled its order for seven A350Fs in June, the backlog for the freighter consisted of sixty-six units for ten customers as of June 30: AviLease , 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 cancelled two ; and Silk Way West Airlines , with two on order. 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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