Karmactive Staff
Sonali Tiwary
Air France-KLM has cut its order for Airbus A350F freighter aircraft from eight to six planes, joining a growing trend of airlines scaling back commitments for the yet-to-fly cargo jet.
The Franco-Dutch airline group will now receive three A350Fs for Air France Cargo and three for Martinair, its Dutch cargo subsidiary. Both carriers originally ordered four aircraft each in 2022 and early 2023.
The decision follows Airbus’s announcement that the A350F’s entry into service has been pushed back to the second half of 2027 – at least a year later than initially planned. This delay, combined with uncertainty in global cargo markets, prompted the airline to reevaluate its fleet needs.
“This does not mean any change in strategy. We will continue to operate our hybrid model of freighter aircraft combined with belly cargo on Air France-KLM Group’s passenger aircraft,” a company spokesperson stated.
The A350F is designed to replace older cargo planes with improved efficiency. For Air France-KLM, the new jets will eventually replace Air France’s two Boeing 777-200F freighters and Martinair’s three Boeing 747-400F aircraft. With delivery now delayed until 2027, the airline may extend leases on its current freighter fleet to maintain capacity.
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This reduction comes shortly after Air Lease Corporation, the original launch customer for the A350F, canceled all seven of its orders. ALC cited both production delays and concerns about “proliferating tariffs” that create uncertainty in global trade.
With these changes, French shipping company CMA CGM Air Cargo will become the A350F’s launch operator. The aircraft promises significant advantages over older freighters, including a 120-ton payload capacity and a range of roughly 4,700 nautical mile range.
The freighter reduction isn’t Air France-KLM’s only fleet adjustment. The group also recently converted eight of its Airbus A350-1000 passenger jet orders to the smaller A350-900 variant, aligning with a wider industry trend of selecting aircraft types better matched to current market demands.
Despite these adjustments, the A350F program maintains a healthy order book, bolstered by Saudi-backed leasing firm AviLease’s order for 22 aircraft at the July 2025 Paris Airshow. Overall, Airbus had secured approximately 90 A350F orders before the recent cancellations.
