Airbus has received the initial fuselage sections for its A350 freighter, MSN700, at its final assembly line in Toulouse, France.
The central fuselage sections 15-21 as well as the forward sections 11-14 have been produced by the facility at Montoir-de-Bretagne – formerly known as Saint-Nazaire.
Airbus supplies these sections through its Airbus Atlantic aerostructures division. The Montoir-de-Bretagne site assembles and equips all centre and forward A350 fuselages.
According to Airbus Atlantic, the initial A350F sections have been delivered to Toulouse, the final assembly line for the cargo twinjet.
It described the delivery as a “major milestone” for the programme which highlighted the “industrial excellence” and “strength of collaboration” across the division’s various facilities.
Despite announcing in February that it had pushed back the entry-into-service date of the A350F to the second half of 2027, Airbus has hit some key production milestones this year.
The first section 19, which is the aerostructure located aft of the main fuselage barrel and interfaces with the tail of the aircraft, was delivered in March.
In April, the first forward fuselage section of the aircraft was equipped with essential systems, and in May the company completed manufacturing the first set of A350F wings.
Last month, Airbus completed manufacturing the first horizontal stabiliser (HTP) for the A350 freighter at its plants in Spain.
