Air France-KLM said Friday it will order four additional A350 widebody freighters from Airbus.
The planes will be operated by subsidiary cargo airline Martinair on behalf of Dutch carrier KLM and will replace four Boeing 747 cargo jets currently operated by KLM Cargo and Martinair. The planes will be based at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, the company said.
Deliveries to Air France-KLM-Martinair are expected in the second half of 2026.
Last April, Air France-KLM finalized an order for four A350 freighters, a new product from Airbus that is scheduled to enter service with Qatar Airways in late 2025. Those planes will be operated by Air France from its hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The decision boosts Airbus in its competition with Boeing in the large freighter market. Boeing is developing the 777-8 as a modern replacement for existing 777 models that will be phased out of production by 2028. Airbus now has 28 firm commitments for the A350 freighter.
The twin-engine A350 gives up some cargo space to the quad-engine 747, but is substantially more fuel efficient.
“Fleet renewal is an important part of KLM’s ambition to become more sustainable. We want to emit less CO2 because of the climate and reduce noise for local residents. The A350F reduces CO2 by over 40% and noise by 50% compared to its predecessors. That is why we decided to place this order earlier than originally planned,” said KLM CEO Marjan Rintel. “Instead of in 2027, we will replace the freighters from autumn 2026..
Air France said it will also purchase three additional A350-900 passenger jets to replace previous generation aircraft.
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