Airbus completes maiden flight of A350F freighter

Airbus said the first flight-test A350F, MSN700, completed its maiden flight from Toulouse. The aircraft was airborne for four hours and 10 minutes, climbed to 25,000 ft and reached an indicated airspeed of 340 kt. A five-person crew checked aerodynamic and structural behaviour, pressurisation, communications and navigation systems, and validated full-flight-envelope protections.

The flight launched a certification campaign planned for approximately 400 flight hours over around 10 months. MSN700 will focus on handling qualities, autopilot systems and aircraft performance; it has a specialised tail skid and bumper for take-off performance testing. A second flight-test aircraft, MSN701, has completed final assembly and is undergoing ground testing before painting. It will be used for systems testing, including air-conditioning, water and waste systems, smoke-detection trials, hot- and cold-weather testing and customer visits.

The A350F is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines and is designed to carry up to 111 tonnes over a range of up to 8,700 km. Airbus says it can reduce fuel burn and CO2 emissions by up to 40% compared with competing aircraft in a similar payload-range category and calls it the first new freighter designed to fully meet ICAO's latest CO2 standards. As of the end of August 2026, Airbus had 115 A350F orders from 14 customers, which the manufacturer says gives it up to 59% of the large freighter market; Etihad Airways has 10 aircraft on order.