Airbus has a date. On Tuesday 29 September at 10:20 local time, weather and systems permitting, the first A350F freighter will take off from Toulouse for the first time. Airbus will stream the flight live on X.
The aircraft, MSN700, registered F-WXLD, cleared its last big ground hurdle on 24 September with two high-speed rejected take-off tests. After five years of design, ground testing and a virtual first flight in the simulator, the only thing left to prove is how the new freighter behaves in the air.
Quick Facts
- Aircraft: Airbus A350F, MSN700, registration F-WXLD
- First flight: Tuesday 29 September 2026, 10:20 CEST (GMT+2), Toulouse, subject to weather and operational requirements
- Broadcast: Live on Airbus's X account
- Engines: Two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97
- Payload: Up to 111 tonnes
- Main deck door: About 15% wider than the Boeing 777F's, according to Airbus
- Test campaign: Two aircraft, around 400 flight-test hours
- Service entry: Certification targeted for 2027, first deliveries in the second half of 2027
The Final Checks
The countdown has been running for weeks. MSN700 has rolled out of the paint shop in its parcel-themed livery, made its first taxi tests and, on 24 September, completed two high-speed rejected take-off runs. Airbus then announced the date on X.
For the maiden flight, the crew will fly in Direct Law rather than the A350's usual Normal Law. In Direct Law the flight controls respond directly to the pilot's inputs without the envelope protections of Normal Law, which is standard practice for a first flight while parts of the aerodynamic model are still unconfirmed. According to Aerospace Global News, the crew will be five: two pilots, a test flight engineer and two flight test engineers.
Not an A350-1000, Not an A350-900
It would be easy to think of the A350F as an A350-1000 with the windows painted over. Airbus says it is not. The freighter combines a fuselage length between the two passenger versions with the A350-1000's wing, which gives it its own aerodynamic model and a new landing gear geometry for ground handling.
That is why the test team flew a "Virtual First Flight" first: 13 simulator sessions of around five hours each, in a development simulator connected to real avionics test benches, including the actual flight controls and engine control systems. Airbus says this set-up is 90% representative of the aircraft, and that the freighter's specific aerodynamic model is the only significant variable left to prove in the sky. A ground vibration test in June built the structural model the engineers will use once the aircraft is airborne.
What the A350F Is For
The A350F is Airbus's answer to Boeing's freighters. It carries up to 111 tonnes on two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, and Airbus claims at least 20% lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions than competing freighters. Its main deck cargo door is about 15% wider than the one on the 777F, wide enough for large aircraft engines, according to Airbus. The manufacturer also calls it the only freighter on the market with a predominantly carbon-fibre airframe.
After the first flight, MSN700 will focus on aerodynamics, handling and autopilot, while a second aircraft, MSN701, joins the campaign for systems testing. Together they are planned to fly around 400 hours. Airbus is aiming for EASA and FAA certification in 2027, with first deliveries in the second half of that year. Recent orders are covered in A350F: Airbus Books Eight More as First Flight Nears.
If Tuesday goes to plan, the cargo world gets its first look at the A350F doing what it was built for.
Sources: Airbus (newsroom and X), Aerospace Global News, Air Cargo News, Air Data News, Aviation A2Z
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