The Letter of Intent was signed in December 2021, making Air France-KLM one of the launch customers.
They will be operated by Air France and based at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport where the airline has a 14,000-square-metre cargo terminal.
Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM says: “The Airbus A350 passenger version has been instrumental to the improvement of our economic and environmental performance, while proving to be a passenger’s favourite. We are thrilled to be among the launch customers of its freighter version, which will significantly increase our capacity and give us the means to continue to provide the best service to our customers around the world.”
The A350F has a large main deck cargo door and a fuselage length optimise for cargo operations, says Airbus.
Over 70% of the airframe is made of advanced materials, reducing take-off weight by 30 tonnes, which, combined with efficient Rolls-Royce engines, results in 20% lower fuel burn and lower CO2 emissions than its rivals.
It has a payload of 109 tonnes and is designed to serve all types of cargo markets including general cargo, e-commerce and special cargo.
Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer of Airbus and Head of Airbus International says: “We are gratified by the wave of early adopters who, like Air France, see the economics and environmental signature of the A350s as standing out versus alternatives, past, existing and future. Merci Air France.”