Airbus's A350F freighter made its maiden flight on 29 September 2026 from Toulouse-Blagnac. Airbus's release says the first aircraft, registered F-WXLD, is the first of two test aircraft. It took off at about 10:30 local time, flew for 4 hours 10 minutes and reached 25,000 feet and 340 knots.

A mix of two A350s

The A350F is built from parts of two passenger variants. Airbus says it has the forward fuselage of the A350-900 and the rear fuselage and wing of the A350-1000. Two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines power it.

The wings for this first test aircraft were built at Airbus's Broughton factory in Flintshire, Wales. UK Aviation reported the first A350F wingset complete on 30 May 2025.

The door is the point

A freighter lives or dies by what goes through the door. Airbus quotes a main-deck cargo door with a clear opening 4.3 metres wide, about 15% wider than the one on the Boeing 777F. Payload is up to 111 tonnes and range up to 4,700 nautical miles, according to Airbus.

Who has ordered it

Airbus counted 115 orders from 14 disclosed customers at the end of August 2026.

The largest customer is Atlas Air Worldwide. On 16 March 2026 Atlas ordered 20 A350Fs with options on 20 more, with deliveries from 2029 to 2034. Flight Global reports it as Atlas's first Airbus order. Atlas flies 113 aircraft, all Boeing, according to Flight Global and Air Cargo News, including 747-400Fs, 747-8Fs, 767s and 777Fs.

When

Airbus is targeting certification in 2027 and first delivery in the second half of that year, according to Air Cargo News. Leeham News reported in August 2026 that market sources expect first delivery to slip to 2028, while Airbus reaffirmed its timeline. Treat 2027 as a target.

An Atlas jet on my screen

An A350F will not show up on a radar like mine for a good while yet. What I can show is the Atlas jet it is meant to sit beside. On 27 September 2026 my desk radar caught Atlas 747-400F N451PA, callsign GTI604, flying from Luxembourg to Huntsville at 32,000 feet. FAA records show Atlas Air as its owner. It is a 747-400F built in 2000 and first delivered to Polar Air Cargo.

The same afternoon I caught British Airways A350-1000 G-XWBB, BAW219V, from Heathrow to Denver at 8,000 feet. That is the passenger variant whose wing and rear fuselage the freighter shares.

Which would you rather see overhead, a 747-400F or an A350F?

Sources

  • Airbus press release, "Airbus A350F freighter successfully performs its maiden flight", 29 September 2026: https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-09-airbus-a350f-freighter-successfully-performs-its-maiden-flight
  • AeroCorner, on the A350F first flight from Toulouse, 29 September 2026: https://aerocorner.com/news/airbus-a350f-freighter-first-flight-toulouse/
  • Rolls-Royce press release on powering the first A350F flight, 29 September 2026: https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/2026/29-09-2026-rr-strengthens-freighter-market-position-by-powering-first-a350f-flight.aspx
  • Airbus, A350F freighter aircraft page: https://www.aircraft.airbus.com/en/aircraft/freighters/a350f
  • Air Cargo News, on Atlas Air Worldwide's A350F order, March 2026: https://www.aircargonews.net/airlines/2026/03/atlas-air-worldwide-places-largest-order-for-a350-freighters/
  • UK Aviation, on Atlas Air becoming the biggest A350F operator: https://ukaviation.aero/atlas-air-set-to-become-biggest-a350f-operator-with-firm-order/
  • UK Aviation, on the first A350F wings completed at Airbus Broughton, 2025: https://ukaviation.aero/first-a350f-wings-completed-at-airbus-broughton/
  • Leeham News, on first A350F delivery possibly slipping to 2028, 11 August 2026: https://leehamnews.com/2026/08/11/first-delivery-of-a350f-could-slip-to-2028-though-airbus-reaffirms-timeline/