Airbus A350 XWB Image: Airbus
Commercial
Aviation
/ Europe
Prospects
Companies are already interested in a freighter version of the Airbus A350
By: Rafael Ramos
On: 8/18/2021
Airbus A350-1000
Image: Airbus
Airbus is looking for an aircraft that can debunk Boeing's dominance in the freighter market. Also in July of this year, the Airbus board confirmed the possibility of producing a version of the A350 adapted for cargo, which, coming into operation in 2025, could be a worthy adversary for Boeing for the service.
The freighter version will be a hybrid between variants of the plane, mainly based on the Airbus A350-1000, and will have a capacity of up to 90 tons of cargo, however the performance data is not completely known.
The company intends to benefit from the knowledge acquired in the cargo version of the BelugaXL, developed from the A330. The manufacturer is now authorized to make formal sales proposals to major potential cargo customers.
US company UPS, German DHL and Qatar Airways are companies that could become potential customers, with UPS and DHL already preparing for purchase decisions.
Brian Newman, UPS's chief financial officer, said the company's backlog is already enough to meet demand through 2023, but the company is working on a longer-term review. DHL, meanwhile, is interested in acquiring the A350F and rival Boeing's freighter, the 777X.
"We have a very strong platform on the A350 and building a cargo version makes sense. The A350F will consume 40% less fuel than models like the Boeing 747, which should make it a very attractive option for our customers," says Guillaume Faury , CEO of Airbus.
As cargo demand was unaffected by the pandemic and instead grew, Airbus was forced to rethink its position in the cargo market, being driven to make the freighter version of the A350 despite the failure of the A330 freighter.
Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
|
|