FlightGlobal
• David Kaminski-Morrow
Airbus has completed painting the first A350F test aircraft, unveiling a “flying parcel” livery selected after a design competition that drew 4,000 entries. The freighter will undergo final ground testing, with its first flight planned for late September or early October.
Airbus
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Airbus has completed painting the first A350F test aircraft, unveiling a “flying parcel” livery selected after a design competition that drew 4,000 entries. The freighter will undergo final ground testing, with its first flight planned for late September or early October.
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Airbus is pressing to raise A320neo-family production to 75 aircraft per month while expanding its Belfast wing facility to support an A220 build rate of 13 aircraft monthly by 2028. The 6,221-square-meter extension adds infrastructure and jobs as Airbus works to improve the program’s economics.
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Airbus is preparing to fly the A350F for the first time in the third week of September 2026, according to industry sources cited by Reuters, bringing the delayed freighter toward its certification campaign. The schedule remains tentative and could slip into early October.
Airbus’s System Development Lab generated virtual allies and threats inside Timber Express, the German Air Force’s annual data-link exercise. The demonstration shows how synthetic aircraft can be introduced into live military training environments to expand scenarios and test networked operations without requiring additional physical platforms.
SWISS will move two 180-seat Airbus A320neos to Geneva for summer 2027, replacing two A220-300s and adding capacity on its London Heathrow route. The fleet change responds to strong demand on one of the airline’s busiest Geneva services while preserving the base’s overall aircraft count.
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A Qantas Airbus A380 flew from Sydney to Dallas Fort Worth and back—carrying nearly 1,000 passengers—after engineers inadvertently left a maintenance floodlight inside the aircraft’s wing. The ATSB report has prompted Qantas to revise tool-control procedures and assess technology for tracking maintenance equipment.
The Indian Air Force is seeking bids for a new medium military transport aircraft, with Lockheed Martin, Embraer and Airbus potentially in contention. The competition could shape India’s future airlift capability while opening a significant defense opportunity for three major aerospace manufacturers.
Air France has extended scheduled Airbus A318 operations through March 27, 2027, moving beyond its previously planned November 2026 retirement timeline. The fleet’s final months are expected to include 37 routes across 13 countries, giving operators and travelers a defined view of the aircraft’s remaining network.
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