French shipping and logistics company CMA CGM has given its official seal of approval to the Airbus A350F aircraft by placing a firm order for four freighters. This is in continuation to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the company with the planemaker last month. The news signals a growing interest among airlines and freight organizations for the A350F and Airbus’ attempt to capture a substantial slice of the expanding air cargo business.
Firm order
The last couple of years have tested the aviation sector like no other in living memory. With many airlines hanging by a thread during the peak of the pandemic, it was cargo that raked in the much-needed capital to keep operations afloat. It’s no surprise then that many airlines are now reshaping and consolidating their long-term cargo strategies. And Airbus seems to have sniffed the demand.
In a statement on December 20th, the European planemaker officially announced firming up an order to purchase four A350F freighter aircraft with the CMA CGM Group. The company now awaits a total of nine Airbus aircraft, which also includes four A330-200Fs and one A330-200 that will be converted into a freighter.
While it’s still early days to reach any firm conclusions, Airbus seems to have come up with a competitive freight product, enough to hold the attention of various airlines. The aircraft manufacturer explained in a statement what exactly makes the A350F more efficient than its competitors in the market, such as the 777F, saying,
“Over 70% of the airframe is made of advanced materials resulting in a 30t lighter take-off weight, generating an at least 20% lower fuel burn over its current closest competitor. With a 109t payload capability (+3t payload/ 11% more volume than its competition), the A350F serves all cargo markets (Express, general cargo, special cargo…) and is in the large freighter category the only new generation freighter aircraft ready for the enhanced 2027 ICAO CO₂ emissions standards.”
Busy year ahead
Releasing its November figures earlier this month, Airbus announced 318 new orders, many of which were revealed at the Dubai Air Show. With gross orders of 610 aircraft so far this year, the demand for new aircraft signals that airlines are ready to emerge out of the pandemic or evolve to operate in a post-COVID world.
Before the A350F, Airbus didn’t offer any substantial competition to Boeing’s line of freighter airplanes. Its paint issues notwithstanding, many airlines seem ready to invest in the freighter version of the A350 for their long-term cargo operations.
Apart from CMA CGM, other firms that have shown interest in the aircraft include American aircraft leasing company Air Lease Corporation (ALC), placing an order for 7 A350Fs, with Singapore Airlines and Air France issuing Letters of intent for 7 and 4 A350Fs, respectively. Qatar Airways, however, is not too gung-ho about the A350F (unsurprisingly), with CEO Akbar Al Baker confirming his lack of interest in the aircraft and eyeing the Boeing 777XF instead.
Still, Airbus’ order book reflects enough plane orders to keep the production line busy for some time to come.
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