Air France-KLM follows ALC in cutting Airbus A350F order commitments

The Air France-KLM Group has confirmed it will be downgrading its commitments for the yet-to-fly Airbus A350 freighter (A350F). The group has eight outstanding orders for the long-haul wide-bodied cargo plane, although this will be reduced to just six firm orders. The Group’s main cargo subsidiaries, Air France Cargo and Martinair, were both due to receive four aircraft apiece, although this will now be reduced to just three per airline.

Both carriers originally ordered four aircraft each, with Air France placing its order in 2022 and KLM in early 2023. However, earlier in 2025, the Group announced its intention to review these orders in light of ongoing production delays of Airbus’ latest product and uncertainty in the global cargo and logistics markets. A fleet review has since shown that the Group would be better suited with six of the type for the time being.   

Air France-KLM said the decision was intended to balance future capital expenditure with operational efficiency, noting Airbus’s recent confirmation that the A350F’s entry into service would be delayed until at least 2027 – a least a year later than previously confirmed, and indeed, being planned for by airline customers of the new variant. The ultra-modern jets were slated to replace Air France Cargo’s two Boeing 777-200ER freighters that it currently operates, while four Martinair’s Boeing 747-400Fs would have been removed from its fleet in favour of the new planes.

Peter Bakema / Wikimedia CommonsIt is understood that the airline group is closely monitoring the state of the global cargo market as it determines its future freighter needs. While the airlines can always rely on the belly hold capacity of the passenger fleets to fulfil demand for cargo space, they may also retain the option to extend the leases on their existing freighters so that the equilibrium between supply and demand remains closely aligned.

The announcement comes just days after another major A350F customer, Air Lease Corporation (ALC), cancelled all seven of its orders for the type. In a statement issued concerning the matter, the global leasing giant cited similar delivery delay concerns in addition to growing uncertainty in the global logistics industry and the unpredictability over the reliance of large wide-bodied freighter aircraft in the future. This situation is being exacerbated by the instability of markets, with the ongoing tariff issue still very much in play.

Airbus A350F orderbook

At least ten customers have ordered the A350F to date, according to ch-aviation. Since Airbus first announced the A350F program in 2021, the planemaker had received orders for almost 90 airframes before these latest cancellations.

AirbusSaudi-backed leasing firm AviLease ordered 22 A350Fs at the Paris Airshow in July 2025, making it the largest customer to date for the type. Before that deal was announced, Eithad and Starlux were the largest customers of the type, each ordering ten aircraft. Future operators also include CMA-CGM Air Cargo (the launch customer), Air France-KLM Group, Cathay Pacific, MNG Airlines, Silk Way West Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and ALC, although following the recent developments, the latter can now be removed from that list. There are also three A350Fs for an as-yet undisclosed customer.

Other A350 fleet changes

The cancellation of the A350F orders comes a week after the Air France-KLM Group announced it was revising its widebody passenger aircraft order strategy, converting most of its outstanding Airbus A350-1000 orders to the shorter Airbus A350-900 variant. The changes will potentially impact the Group’s longer-term fleet renewal plans and growth strategies from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport (AMS).

Leaderofthewave / ShutterstockThe adjustment follows the Group’s 2023 order for 50 A350s, initially split between A350-900 and A350-1000 variants. The new incoming aircraft are intended to replace aging Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 models in the respective carriers’ fleets. Airbus figures published in July 2025 showed that Air France-KLM has converted 8 of its 11 A350-1000 orders in favour of the smaller A350-900 variant. This is a trend that is being replicated across the outstanding order book for the A350 family, confirmed the European manufacturer.

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