Airbus to launch A350F within weeks

Back in March, we already reported that Airbus was considering launching an A350F. Now, Bloomberg is reporting that Airbus is set to launch its newest cargo aircraft "within weeks" after getting board approval in July.

Over the last months, the manufacturer has been discussing the newest A350-variant to gauge interest and is now positive it can line-up enough orders to warrent launching it. A formal product launch is then expected to happen before the end of this year.

The decision to launch an A350F is part of Airbus' plan to "aggressively pursuit Boeing in the freight market" and it also hopes to take advantage of the delays in the B777X-programme.

According to sources, the new A350F would be a slightly larger A350-900. The estimated development price will be around 3 billion USD and it will take four to five years from launch to entry into commercial service.

Photo by Airbus.