Airbus is advancing development of the A350F with a main-deck cargo door that the manufacturer describes as the largest ever built for a commercial freighter. The door cut-out measures 4.5 meters (175 inches) wide, with a clear opening of 4.3 meters (169.5 inches), making it about 15% wider than the Boeing 777 Freighter’s 3.7-meter (146-inch) door. According to Airbus, the increased width allows large components such as high-bypass turbofan engines for modern widebodies to be loaded in a single movement.
The door will be installed on the left side of the A350F’s main deck and uses a composite structure combined with an electrically actuated opening and locking system, replacing traditional hydraulics. Airbus has built and displayed a full-scale freighter mock-up to demonstrate the door’s dimensions and loading flexibility to potential customers.
Based on the A350-1000 platform, the A350F is being developed with a payload capability of around 111 tonnes and a range of up to roughly 8,700 kilometers (4,700 nautical miles). Airbus states that the aircraft’s main-deck volume will be comparable to that of the Boeing 747 freighter, while offering about five tonnes more payload than the 777F. The oversized cargo door is central to this concept, aimed at improving turn times and enabling operators to handle outsized freight with fewer loading constraints.