Prototype A350F fuselage sections land in Toulouse

The first major fuselage sections of the prototype A350F have arrived at the Airbus final assembly line in Toulouse.

The nose and forward fuselage section, know as section 15/21, arrived in Toulouse (TLS) on Aug. 19, while the center fuselage section, known as section 11/14, arrived on Aug. 21, Airbus told Cargo Facts . They arrived from the Airbus Atlantic site in Montoir-de-Bretagne, France.

[caption id="attachment_57291144" align="aligncenter" width="1621"] The nose and forward section of unit 700 came together in April. (Courtesy/Airbus)[/caption] Airbus transported the parts to TLS using a BelugaXL .

Airbus Atlantic joined the forward fuselage section to the nose and cockpit in April.

Another major section along with other components will arrive at TLS in the coming weeks, Airbus said. Final assembly will soon begin on the prototype aircraft (700) ahead of test flights starting in 2026.

Unit 700 is the first of two A350Fs that Airbus will use for those flight tests, the European planemaker previously said.

In July, the Airbus facility in Getafe, Spain, completed unit 700’s horizontal stabilizer after also building the rear fuselage section in 2024.

Meanwhile, Airbus completed unit 700’s pair of wings at its facility in Broughton, Wales, in May.

The first A350F is slated to enter service in the second half of 2027 , and CMA CGM is set to be the launch operator.

Airbus’ A350F backlog consisted of sixty-five units for ten customers as of July 31:

Ten each for AviLease , Starlux Airlines and Etihad Airways , although three of Etihad’s still show as unidentified; Eight for CMA CGM ; Seven for Singapore Airlines ; Six for Cathay Pacific ; Five for Turkish Airlines ; Four for Air France , although parent Air France-KLM said it had cancelled one ; Three for Martinair ; and Two for Silk Way West Airlines . Register here for Cargo Facts ’ upcoming free webinar, “Air cargo route networks: Strategies for improved results and greater efficiencies,” on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 11 a.m. ET.

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 before Sept. 5.

[Edited to add commentary from Airbus.]

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