Airbus is targeting a maiden flight in September for its delayed A350F freighter, with the first test sortie tentatively pencilled in for the third week of the month, industry sources said. The planned timing could still slip into early October, while Airbus has kept to its broader guidance of a first flight before year-end and first delivery in the second half of 2027.
The schedule is designed to preserve the programme’s certification path after earlier slippage from an initial third-quarter target. Flight testing for a new widebody freighter typically runs for 12 to 15 months, leaving Airbus a narrow window if it wants to keep the aircraft on track for entry into service next year. The A350F is Airbus’s bid for the large freighter market and a direct challenge to Boeing’s dominance in cargo aircraft.
Airbus has not confirmed the specific date, with a spokesperson declining to add to the company’s latest forecast. Two test aircraft are being prepared in Toulouse for the certification campaign.