Airbus continues to progress development of the A350 Freighter as it works towards the start of a 10-month, 400h flight-test campaign later this year.
Its initial A350F prototype (MSN700) is largely complete having completed an “industrial roll-out” last November and is now undergoing ground testing, says Crawford Hamilton, Airbus head of freighter marketing.
In addition, the freighter’s 4.3m (169in)-wide main deck cargo door (MDCD) – “the biggest in the industry” – has yet to be installed, with the component still in final assembly, says Hamilton, adding: “We will be putting it on in the next few months.”
Airbus aims to perform a maiden sortie of the first prototype later this year.
Meanwhile, parts for the second prototype, MSN701, have begun arriving at the airframer’s Toulouse final assembly line.
A first flight is likely to take place around two to three months after its sister aircraft, says Hamilton.
Service entry for the A350F is set for the second half of 2027, although Hamilton declines to say which customer will receive the first production aircraft.
Meanwhile, Airbus continues to perform extensive ground tests of various systems using multiple rigs at its German facilities in Bremen and Hamburg.
At Hamburg, evaluations are taking place of the main deck cargo compartment environmental control and smoke detection systems on a full-scale wooden representation of the main deck.
In Bremen, meanwhile, the airframer is testing the cargo loading system (CLS) and MDCD on a 23m (75ft)-long rig capable of being pitched up or down by 2° and rolled through 1°.
Supplier ANCRA is also putting the CLS through its paces on a bespoke rig at its Los Angeles site.
Airbus has so far accumulated 81 firm orders for the A350F from 13 customers since its launch in 2021, giving it a 54% market share against the competing Boeing 777-8F, which has 68 orders from seven customers.
In fact, during a “bumper” 2025, Airbus added 35 orders from seven customers. “There’s a continuous market momentum – there’s never been a year [since launch] when we haven’t had a deal,” Hamilton says.
Having seen poor commercial performance from the A330-200F, its previous new-build freighter programme, he says success for the A350F will be the capture of ”a reasonable market share”.
“I think where we are at the moment would definitely be a good indication of success. I think the wide diversity of customers we have got, if we can build on that, will constitute success,” he adds.
A 3.18m shrink of the A350-1000 passenger variant, the freighter will carry a 111t payload on routes of up to 4,700nm (8,700nm). It will be incorporated onto the widebody’s existing type certificate.
