Airbus A350F. Copyright: Airbus S.A.S 2021 - computer rendering by FIXION - MMS - 2021
CMA CGM has become the launch customer for Airbus’ A350 freighter following Air Lease’s decision to cancel its order for seven of the new generation aircraft.
French shipping giant CMA CGM referenced its order for eight A350Fs, for use by its freighter airline subsidiary CMA CGM Air Cargo, in a LinkedIn post last week.
Speaking about the credentials of the freighter, the company stated: "CMA CGM AIR CARGO will be its launch operator."
CMA CGM became the second company to sign up for the A350F when it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering the purchase of four A350Fs in November 2021. It then firmed up the order the following month.
Then, in April last year, following the breakdown of its partnership with Air France KLM, CMA CGM Air Cargo announced that the order had been increased to eight units.
US lessor Air Lease placed an order for seven A350Fs in November 2021, making it the launch customer for Airbus' freighter programme. However, last month all seven were removed from the Airbus backlog.
This month, Air Lease referred to uncertainty in the cargo markets and delays to the A350F programme as it confirmed the cancellation of its orders.
The Air France KLM Group has also this month firmed up its plans to reduce the number of A350Fs it has on order by trimming one of the model from subsidiary Martinair’s backlog.
Martinair and Air France had each initially ordered four of the aircraft, but in March, the group said that it planned to reduce its orderbook for A350Fs from eight to six.
Air France will also reduce its order to three of the model. At the time, the Franco-Dutch airline group said that the decision to slim down its order had been made in light of production delays and following a fleet portfolio assessment.
In February, Airbus announced it would push back the entry-into-service date of its A350 freighter to the second half of 2027, from its earlier expectation of 2026.
It remains to be seen whether any further revisions or cancellations to orders will be made, however, Airbus has been steadily announcing production milestones, most recently completing the manufacturing of the first horizontal stabiliser (HTP) for the A350F at its plants in Spain.
