The Airbus A350F, which is scheduled to go into service in 2025, has begun production.
The Airbus A350F, which the company says “the world’s most efficient large cargo aircraft,” has produced its first parts. The components were created at Airbus Atlantic in Nantes, and they will shortly be sent to the company’s second location in Montoir-de-Bretagne, where assembly will start.
The center wing box of the aircraft will contain the components that Airbus has so far produced. Also, the exterior foot frames that will join the center wing box to the lateral fuselage shells as well as the fittings that will join the center wing box to the outer wing boxes have been created.
The center wing box will be 6.5 m long, 5.5 m broad, and 3.9 m height when finished. Of course, Airbus has experience producing center wing boxes; the components are comparable to those on the passenger Airbus A350 but have strengthened floor beams to hold the biggest pallets and containers.
In order to provide simultaneous manufacture of the parts required for both the passenger and freighter types of the Airbus A350, Airbus Atlantic reconfigured its production line at its Nantes facility.
industry-leading requirements
With a 40% lower fuel burn than the Boeing 747F when it first goes into service in 2025, the Airbus A350F will revolutionize the cargo industry. The aircraft’s Trent XWB engines, which are currently the most effective large airplane engines in the world, contribute to this in part. Also, by 2027, the aircraft will be the only large freighter that complies with ICAO’s carbon emissions guidelines.
The Airbus A350F will have a range of 5,400 miles and a maximum payload of 109 tons. Its total capacity is comparable to that of the MD-11F and is 10% more than that of the Boeing 777F, which is its main opponent. The fact that the crew members, mechanics, and the majority of the spare parts are interchangeable between the passenger Airbus A350 and its fleet is another significant benefit.
According to Airbus, the sum of all these characteristics provides its clients with a superior value throughout the course of the aircraft’s lifetime of at least $50 million.
locating a niche in a crowded market
Although the spike in the shipping business that occurred during the pandemic has now subsided, demand is still very much there. The Boeing 777F, the Airbus A350F’s closest rival, stands in its way. The market has never been as crowded, however, as an increasing number of former passenger aircraft are also being converted into freighters.
More than 35 orders have been placed with Airbus for the Airbus A350F so far, including orders from seven Singapore Airlines Cargo flights, seven Etihad Cargo flights, and four Air France Cargo flights. Singapore Airlines Cargo will be the aircraft’s debut customer, as Airbus has already announced.
