Airbus Makes First A350F Freighter Test Flight

Airbus flew its A350F freighter for the first time today, marking the start of a nine-month flight-test campaign it hopes will lead to EASA type certification for the new widebody variant. S/N 700, the first of two test aircraft, took off from the airframer’s Toulouse, France headquarters at around 10:30 a.m. local time and flew for 4 hours 10 minutes, reaching an altitude of 25,000 feet.

During the inaugural flight, Airbus pilots verifed the A350F’s basic airworthiness and flying qualities. The second test aircraft (S/N 701) is now in the latter stages of final assembly and is due to be moved into the Airbus paint shop in the coming few weeks.

According to Airbus, the cargo airliner—powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97s—will provide operators with a payload of up to 111 tonnes (just over 244,000 pounds) and fly long-haul sectors of up to 4,728 nm. The manufacturer said that, with 70% of its structures made of “advanced materials,” the A350F will have a maximum takeoff weight that is 46 tonnes lighter than direct rivals, such as Boeing 777 freighters. 

At the end of August, Airbus reported orders for 115 A350Fs from 14 undisclosed airlines. The company said this amounts to 59% of the addressable market for large freighters.

The first test flight was flown by captain Bernardo Saez-Benito and first officer Sylvain Guiraud. Flight test engineers Ludovic Girard, Laurent Bussiere, and Jaime Angoloti were also on board.

For deep-dive, expert coverage of what the arrival of the A350F means for the cargo airliner market, go to Leeham News and Analysis.