Airbus Starts Flight Test Campaign for A350F Cargo Airliner | Aviation International News

Airbus Makes First A350F Freighter Test Flight

First of two test aircraft flew from Toulouse for just over four hours

Airbus A350F freighter — The first A350F test aircraft took off from Airbus’ Toulouse, France base on September 29. © Airbus

By Charles Alcock • Managing Editor

September 29, 2026

Airbus flew its A350F freighter for the first time today, marking the start of a nine-month flight-test campaign it hopes will lead to EASA type certification for the new widebody variant. S/N 700, the first of two test aircraft, took off from the airframer’s Toulouse, France headquarters at around 10:30 a.m. local time and flew for 4 hours 10 minutes, reaching an altitude of 25,000 feet.

During the inaugural flight, Airbus pilots verifed the A350F’s basic airworthiness and flying qualities. The second test aircraft (S/N 701) is now in the latter stages of final assembly and is due to be moved into the Airbus paint shop in the coming few weeks.

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