Overview
- The A350F test aircraft MSN700 made its maiden flight on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, flying about four hours from Toulouse to validate basic handling and systems.
- That flight starts a planned flight-test campaign of roughly 400 hours over more than nine months with a second test plane, MSN701, in late final assembly set to join for systems and extreme-weather trials.
- Airbus describes the purpose-built freighter as a hybrid of the A350-900 and A350-1000 with Rolls‑Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, a 4.3-metre main-deck cargo door, a 111-tonne payload and claimed fuel and CO2 savings versus older freighters.
- By the end of August Airbus had 115 firm A350F orders from 14 disclosed customers, led by Atlas Air, giving the type a majority share of new large-freighter orders and positioning it directly against Boeing’s 777 freighter family.
- The programme still faces risks from earlier supply delays and the certification schedule, so on-time service entry in 2027 is not guaranteed and carriers will watch certification closely before replacing older freighters and locking in operating plans.