Overview
- The first A350F test aircraft, MSN700 (registration F-WXLD), which flew on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, completed a four-hour, ten-minute flight from Toulouse that climbed to about 25,000 feet and returned safely.
- Airbus says the A350F is a purpose-built freighter that combines an A350-900 forward fuselage with an A350-1000 rear fuselage and wings, and is powered by Rolls‑Royce Trent XWB‑97 engines for up to 111 tonnes of payload and about 8,700 km range.
- The maiden sortie starts a planned certification campaign of roughly 400 flight hours using two test aircraft, with MSN701 in final assembly and expected to enter the paint shop in the coming weeks.
- Airbus reports 115 firm orders from 14 disclosed customers, including a 20-aircraft order from Atlas Air, as the company positions the A350F to challenge Boeing’s dominance in large dedicated freighters.
- The programme still faces timing risk because earlier supply‑chain issues and a delayed large cargo door pushed the schedule; certification progress over the next nine months will determine whether customer deliveries begin in 2027 or slip later.