Today, Etihad Airways signed a letter of intent for seven Airbus A350F freighters at the Singapore Airshow. The airline's current freighter fleet remains relatively young, consisting of five Boeing 777Fs with an average age of 6.7 years. While Etihad has already taken delivery of some Airbus A350s for passenger use, they are yet to enter service.

Airbus launched sales of its A350F freighter at the Dubai Airshow in November 2021 with a letter of intent from ALC for 111 new aircraft, including seven Airbus A350Fs. Boeing's competitor, the 777X freighter, seems to have edged slightly ahead at launch, with up to 50 aircraft ordered by Qatar Airways. However, many smaller letters of intent and memorandums of understanding for the Airbus A350F are pushing the numbers up.

Etihad wants seven A350Fs

Earlier today at the Singapore Airshow, Airbus revealed that Etihad Airways was interested in purchasing seven A350Fs. The seven aircraft would join the airline's current fleet of five passenger Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. In addition to the freighter interest, the manufacturer also revealed that Etihad selected Airbus' Flight Hour Services package to provide support for all of its A350 aircraft.

Dubai Airshow 2021 - Day 1 - A350-1000 Etihad Airways
Etihad currently operates flights to 70 destinations across 43 countries.  Photo: Jean-Vincent Reymondon - Airbus

Commenting on the order, the airline's CEO Tony Douglas remarked,

“As our cargo operations continue to overperform and we work towards a more sustainable future built upon the world’s youngest and most fuel-efficient fleet, the addition of the A350F will play a key role in driving our long-term cargo strategy and achieving our 2035 target to reduce CO₂ emissions by 50%.”

The Etihad A350 fleet

As mentioned, the A350Fs will join five passenger A350-1000s. The five A350-1000s already sport an average age of 2.5 years. According to AIB Family Flights, the five aircraft were all delivered on contract to Etihad between May 31st, 2019, and May 25th, 2020.

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Interestingly, the aircraft were not physically delivered to Etihad straight away. Instead, they were flown half an hour west to the town of Bordeaux, where they remained for quite some time. The aircraft were finally ferried from Bordeaux to Abu Dhabi between May 22nd, 2021, and September 20th, 2021. While the airline was keen to show the exterior of the A350s at last year's Dubai Airshow (including a special livery), the interior details haven't been officially announced. However, we know that the interior of the business class cabin uses a similar seat to the new British Airways Club Suite.

Tom Boon-183
The airline is expected to launch Airbus A350 operations in the coming months. Photo: Tom Boon - Simple Flying

Etihad is still yet to announce when the Airbus A350 will enter service and its routes on the aircraft. Last year Tony Douglas confirmed to Simple Flying that the A350 was likely to enter service in 2022, though he didn't get more specific on the date. Airbus' CCO, Christian Scherer, revealed that it might not be too long, commenting,

"We are pleased to sign this agreement with our long standing partner Etihad, shortly before this most discerning airline also introduces A350 passenger service."

What do you make of Etihad Airways' decision to opt for the Airbus A350 freighter? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!