Airbus Sticks to Delivery Goal Despite Broader Flight-Test Window
TOULOUSE, France — Airbus has widened the expected timing for the maiden flight of its highly anticipated A350F cargo aircraft but continues to insist that the program remains on track for certification and first customer deliveries by the end of 2027.
The European aircraft manufacturer now expects the A350F to make its first flight before the end of 2026, replacing its previous guidance that targeted a third-quarter maiden flight. While the revised schedule provides Airbus with greater flexibility, it also shortens the time available for an intensive certification campaign ahead of the planned entry into service.
With more than 100 firm orders already secured from major global carriers, the A350F remains one of Airbus’ most important commercial aircraft programs as the company seeks to strengthen its position in the dedicated cargo market.
Airbus Revises First Flight Schedule
Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury discussed the freighter program during the company’s half-year financial briefing on July 29.
Speaking about the development timeline, Faury said the aircraft remains on course to fly “before the end of this year”.
The updated wording marks a shift from Airbus’ earlier guidance. Throughout late 2025 and into early 2026, the manufacturer had consistently indicated that the aircraft’s maiden flight would occur during the third quarter of 2026.
Even after Airbus received the first main-deck cargo door in April 2026, industry observers noted signs that the schedule could slip into the fourth quarter. The latest update officially broadens that timeline without specifying a narrower launch window.
Although the first flight has moved later than initially expected, Airbus has not changed its target of completing certification and delivering the first aircraft by the end of 2027.
Faury said the first flight will open a “very dense” flight-test programme.
He also said Airbus aims to complete certification and first delivery “ideally” before the end of 2027, adding that production could ramp up quickly afterward, allowing deliveries in “rather significant numbers as soon as 2028”.
Two Aircraft Will Support Intensive Certification Campaign
Parallel Flight Testing Planned
The revised timeline leaves Airbus with a compressed certification period of just over one year before its targeted deliveries.
To support the effort, Airbus is assembling two dedicated flight-test aircraft at its Toulouse final assembly facility.
The lead aircraft, MSN700, completed its industrial roll-out in November 2025 and has since entered ground testing.
A second aircraft, MSN701, is also under construction, with its first flight expected approximately two to three months after MSN700 takes to the skies.
Running two aircraft simultaneously is expected to reduce testing delays while accelerating data collection across multiple certification activities.
Airbus has structured the certification effort around a 10-month campaign totaling approximately 400 flight-test hours.
Composite Cargo Door Marks Major Engineering Milestone
A significant manufacturing milestone was reached in April 2026 when Airbus delivered the first completed A350F main-deck cargo door from its Illescas, Spain, production facility to Toulouse.
The door is currently being integrated into the fuselage of the first flight-test aircraft.
With a clear opening measuring 4.3 meters wide and 3.15 meters high, Airbus says it is the largest cargo door in the industry.
The structure also introduces several technological advances. It is the first cargo door of its size to use composite materials and replaces traditional hydraulic systems with an electrically operated opening and closing mechanism.
Program Timeline Has Shifted Since Launch
The A350F program was launched in July 2021 with an original entry-into-service target of 2026.
Since then, Airbus has revised the schedule twice.
In May 2023, the company delayed entry into service from late 2025 to the first quarter of 2026, citing overall program execution.
A more significant adjustment followed in February 2025 during Airbus’ annual financial results presentation, when Faury pushed entry into service to the second half of 2027.
At the time, Airbus attributed the delay primarily to supply chain challenges, particularly involving aerostructures supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
Unlike the previous revisions, the latest schedule adjustment affects only the timing of the first flight, while Airbus continues to maintain its planned certification and delivery timeline.
A350F Designed for Efficiency and Sustainability
The A350F is based on the A350-1000 passenger aircraft but features a fuselage shortened by five frames while retaining Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines.
The aircraft is designed to carry payloads of up to 111 metric tons with a range of approximately 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 kilometers) at a 109-ton payload.
Airbus says the freighter offers 11% greater cargo volume than competing aircraft.
More than 70% of the airframe is built using advanced materials, making it approximately 46 metric tons lighter than competing freighters, according to Airbus.
The manufacturer also positions the A350F as the only next-generation freighter fully compliant with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s carbon dioxide emissions standards scheduled to take effect in 2027.
The aircraft will enter service certified to operate with up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel, with Airbus targeting compatibility with 100% sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.
Strong Order Book Supports Long-Term Outlook
According to FlightGlobal, Airbus has accumulated 107 firm orders for the A350F.
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 Corporation served as the launch customer.
The A350F competes directly with Boeing’s 777-8F freighter.
As of early 2026, Airbus held a 54% share of new large-freighter orders compared with Boeing’s 777-8F, which had secured 68 orders from seven customers.
Boeing delayed the first delivery of the 777-8F until 2028 following certification delays affecting the passenger 777-9 program and production disruptions tied to labor issues.
Airbus Reaffirms Broader Production Growth Plans
The A350F update came as Airbus reaffirmed its broader commercial aircraft production strategy.
The company delivered 351 aircraft during the first half of 2026, including 26 A350s and 10 A330s, while maintaining its goal of delivering approximately 870 commercial aircraft during the full year.
Consolidated revenue increased 12% year over year to €33.2 billion.
Airbus also continues to target production of 12 A350 aircraft per month by 2028 and is evaluating the possibility of increasing output beyond that level in the future.
Looking further ahead, Airbus forecasts that the global dedicated freighter fleet will expand by 45% through 2044, creating demand for approximately 935 newly built freighter aircraft.
