Airbus Sees New A350 Variant Flight Trials Coming In 2026

TOULOUSE—Airbus is planning to start flight tests next year to bring into service the next two evolutions of its A350 widebody, an ultra-long-range version of the -1000 variant and a freighter.

The A350-1000ULR is being designed with extra fuel capacity to meet Qantas Airways’ goal of flying nonstop from London or New York to Sydney. The flight-test program to validate the new tank and some cabin comfort enhancements should last about a month, says Airbus A350 Chief Engineer Miguel Llorca, allowing the aircraft to enter service in Australia before 2027.

The aircraft will carry more than 20,000 liters of additional fuel and have a 9,700 nm range.

The A350F cargo aircraft modifications will take longer to bring about. Airbus is starting to build parts of the aircraft that is now due to enter service in 2027. Llorca says the flight-test program will likely kick off in mid-2026 and run for about a year.

The aircraft will feature changes such as an area for couriers, a cargo door and reinforced floor and fuselage.

Airbus is sold out to 2031 on the A350, says Julien Puyou, head of widebody programs at the manufacturer. To address strong demand, Airbus is ramping up production of the aircraft to 12 per month in 2028. Puyou says it is too early to consider going beyond that rate, despite strong customer interest.

He also plays down the idea that Airbus might soon launch an A350 stretch to add seating capacity at a time Boeing is looking to introduce the higher-seat-count 777X.

“Today we are really focused on the ultra-long-range and on the freighter,” Puyou says, noting the company will continue to listen to customers. “We have a lot of studies on the A350,” he adds.

In an interview with Aviation Week ahead of the Paris Air Show, CEO Guillaume Faury had suggested a further stretch of the A350 would be “a natural evolution of the product line ... to increase capacity from the -900 to the -1000 to something slightly longer, bigger, with more capabilities that will come close to the 777X in terms of seat count.”