Air TransportAmid a new delay in the program, Airbus has begun shipping fuselage sections for the first A350F freighter.
In late February, Getafe of Spain loaded the widebody tail structure onto an Airbus Beluga, which was flown to Hamburg, where pre-assembly of the aircraft is taking place.
Known as “Section 19”, the structure has been adapted for the A350F and features a protector on the underside to prevent damage during ground operations.
“Although the protector may seem simple, fitting it required a reorganization of the line, ensuring we met the highest quality standards without interfering with the production of other aircraft,” said Isabel Nieto, Value Stream Mapping project manager at Getafe.
According to Airbus, the technical solution is necessary because a freighter can roll while being loaded and hit its tail. The cargo door of the A350F is located at the rear of the aircraft, unlike the rival 777F.
63 aircraft in the order book
In addition to the tail part, subsidiary Premium AEROTEC also sent fuselage side shells to Hamburg, which were produced at the Ausburg plant in Germany.
The start of assembly of the first aircraft comes after Airbus confirmed that the program has been delayed again and will only enter service at the end of 2027.
When it launched the freighter in 2022, the planemaker expected to put it on the market in 2025, but later postponed its entry into service until 2026.
The A350F will be between the A350-900 and the A350-1000 in size and will be able to carry up to 111 tons of cargo with a range of 4,700 nm (8,700 km).
As of January, Airbus reported having 60 firm orders for the aircraft, from nine known customers and three jets whose buyers were kept confidential.
