Airbus is keeping the A350F on course for first flight in 2026 after completing ground vibration testing in Toulouse, but market expectations for the freighter’s entry into service have moved back to late 2027, with meaningful deliveries now expected mainly in 2028. The programme, the company’s first new long-haul freighter, remains under pressure from industrial and certification timing as Airbus works through wider A350 production demands.
The MSN700 test aircraft is being readied in Toulouse for the flight-test campaign, and Airbus plans to use two aircraft in the programme. The revised market view follows the ground-test phase completed in early August and a three-day test window in June. Airbus has not formally changed its own 2027 delivery plan and still presents the schedule as intact.
The A350F is intended to compete in the future wide-body freighter market, including against Boeing’s planned 777-8F. Any slippage would force cargo operators to wait longer for fleet renewal options and could tighten the gap between customer commitments and available replacement capacity.