The latest order and delivery data from Airbus appears to show that US-based lessor Air Lease has backed out of its order for seven Airbus A350 freighters.
The company had been the first to order the new model when it signed a provisional deal with Airbus back in 2021 at the Dubai Airshow.
The company would not confirm to Air Cargo News whether the order had been cancelled or switched to another model, saying only that any changes to its orderbook would be reflected in its second-quarter results.
Air Lease is due to announce its second-quarter results on 4 August.
The order was originally placed at the height of the Covid-related freighter market boom when the grounding of passenger operations meant all-cargo aircraft were in high demand.
The cargo market has cooled since then, with macroeconomic conditions, US tariffs and a clampdown on e-commerce putting a dampener on the outlook.
There have also been delays to the A350F programme. Airbus initially hoped the aircraft would hit the market this year, but that has now been put back to 2027.
On the other hand, many are expecting a long-term shortage of widebody freighters.
Atlas Air Worldwide chief executive Michael Steen recently told Air Cargo News he was expecting widebody freighter capacity to come under pressure for the next decade as a result of the age of existing aircraft and limitations on the delivery of larger production/conversion aircraft.
Despite the removal of Air Lease’s seven A350Fs from the Airbus orderbook, the number on order actually increased in June thanks to a deal announced with AviLease.
At the Paris Airshow, the Saudi Arabian lessor placed an order for 10 of the model, with an agreement in place for up to 12 more.
Turkish carrier MNG also signed an MoU for two of the aircraft at the Paris event, but these have yet to be firmed up and therefore aren’t showing up in the Airbus orders report.
In total, Airbus has secured 66 confirmed orders for the model while Boeing’s rival 777-8F has 59 orders.
