Airbus announced on November 4 that Korean Air had switched its order for seven existing A350-1000 aircraft to A350F freighters.
<Korean Air's Airbus A350F freighter>
This makes Korean Air a new customer for the A350F.
The A350F features large cargo doors on the main deck, and its fuselage length and capacity are optimized for industry-standard pallet and container cargo transport. By using state-of-the-art materials for over 70% of the airframe, it achieves a takeoff weight 46 tons lighter than its competitors. Furthermore, the A350F is a new generation freighter that complies with ICAO's CO2 emission standards, which will come into effect in 2027.
The A350F, currently under development, will have a maximum payload of 111 tons and a maximum flight range of 4700 nautical miles (8700 kilometers). Equipped with the latest Rolls-Royce Trent-XWB97 engines, it will reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40% compared to its older generation competitors.
As of the end of September 2025, the A350 family has received orders for 1445 aircraft from 63 companies worldwide. Of these, 65 A350F aircraft have been ordered from 10 cargo airlines and one leasing company.
Korean Air has ordered a total of 33 A350s. Following this order change, the breakdown is now 20 A350-1000s, 7 A350Fs, and 6 A350-900s, of which 2 A350-900s have been delivered. The company has also ordered 39 A321neo aircraft.
