Atlas Air, a key supplier of contracted air transport to the US military, has placed the largest order yet by any operator for the new Airbus cargo aircraft, which will complement its Boeing 747, 767 and 777.
Michael Steen, CEO of Air Atlassigned the agreement with Airbus in Toulouse, France, on March 16, 2026. Atlas Air will begin taking deliveries of its new aircraft from 2029, with the last of 20 Airbus A350Fs arriving in 2034. This figure will allow Atlas Air to operate twice as many A350Fs as the next largest operators, and also marks the first time Atlas Air will welcome a non-Boeing aircraft into its fleet.
“We are proud to become the largest customer of the Airbus A350F, securing early delivery positions for this next-generation widebody cargo platform,” Steen said. “This order reflects our commitment to maintaining the industry’s most modern and fuel-efficient widebody freighter fleet to better serve new and existing customers around the world. The A350F is a reliable and highly capable platform, with incremental payload and range benefits, and a strong sustainability profile.”
Great news! @AtlasAirWW has placed a historic firm order for 20 latest generation vehicles #A350F! ✈️ As a leading outsourced aviation logistics company, this move reinforces its commitment to maintaining the most modern and fuel-efficient cargo fleet to serve its customers around the world. https://t.co/vsIXK3eaOI pic.twitter.com/ifqYxJy0AC
-Airbus (@Airbus) March 16, 2026
The Airbus A350F, the first of which is will begin flight testing later this yearIt has now exceeded 100 orders in total. Other future operators include Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Turkish Airlines and Air France. The cargo version, based on the A350-1000 model, builds on the enormous success of the passenger variant: there are currently more than six hundred airframes in service worldwide with civil airlines and a handful of government operators.
Compared to its closest competitor, the Boeing 777-8F (expected to begin delivery from 2028), the A350F has a slightly lower total cargo capacity, but boasts exceptional fuel efficiency, as well as what Airbus claims is the The largest main deck cargo door on any aircraft..
As with many passenger aircraft adaptations for cargo aircraft, the A350F will have two cargo decks. The lower cargo hold of passenger aircraft remains as usual, in addition to the main deck cargo hold in place of the passenger cabin. Compared to the cavernous cargo holds of military transports like the C-17 Globemaster III, the split-deck approach limits the transportation of oversized cargo, but is overall a much more efficient and manageable use of available space.
Behind the flight deck, a passenger cabin known as a “messaging area” is maintained with up to ten premium economy class passenger seats for additional crew members, maintenance personnel, or persons accompanying specific types of cargo.
Lars Wagner, CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, said the company is “excited to welcome Atlas Air Worldwide, a global leader in the air cargo industry, to the Airbus family.” He adds: “Atlas Air’s selection of the next-generation A350F, the first in the United States, represents a pivotal moment, cementing the A350F’s position as the next-generation cargo aircraft of choice for the world’s most demanding cargo operators. We look forward to seeing it fly in Atlas colors.”
This sign of confidence in the A350F from a major US operator could attract the attention of cargo operators who currently operate or have until recently operated the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F. The market to replace the aging trijet is one of Airbus’ targets with its A350F offering, although major operators of the MD-11F have not yet placed orders. UPS Airlines retired its entire fleet of MD-11Fs in the wake of the UPS 2976 collapse in November 2025, while FedEx intends to resume operation of the type from May.
Airbus reveals that the payload of the A350F cargo plane now amounts to 111 tonnes. “It’s absolutely perfect timing,” says Airbus’ Crawford Hamilton. for a new freighter and the company foresees demand for around 400 wide-body freighters in Asia-Pacific over the next 20 years. #SGAirshow2024 #avgeek pic.twitter.com/qDm3I1tL20
-Tim Robinson (@RAeSTimR) February 20, 2024
A Expanding market in Asia It is also heavily attacked. Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air and Air China have already confirmed orders for the A350F.
Air Atlas
Atlas Air, with a total fleet of 107 aircraft at the time of this writing, is, by number of aircraft, the third largest cargo airline in the United States. Although the airline is a long way from competing with the likes of UPS and FedEx in terms of total cargo tonnage carried, Atlas Air has a firm grip on a number of lucrative specialty contracts. Contractors include Amazon Air, DHL and Nippon Cargo Airlines.
On behalf of Boeing, Atlas Air flies the four Boeing 747-400LCF ‘Dreamlifter’ large cargo aircraft. These specially adapted 747s are used to transport large aircraft parts between Boeing facilities similar to the Airbus Beluga fleet.
You won’t find many airplanes bigger than this. The Boeing Dreamlifter has arrived for #OSH23! pic.twitter.com/fRkTAC4Wis
-EAA (@EAA) July 24, 2023
However, it is worth noting that the airline also completes many charter flights for the US Department of Defense. To do this, Atlas Air uses its large fleet of cargo aircraft, as well as its smaller fleet of Boeing 747 and Boeing 767 configured for passengers. These passenger plane They are regularly used to move large numbers of personnel across the US or overseas for deployments or exercises, and offer much greater levels of comfort than military aircraft equipped with palletized seats.
In terms of cargo, Atlas Air can handle everything from general supplies to armored vehicles and entire aircraft. Indeed, Atlas Air 747 freighters have regularly visited RAF Fairford in recent weeks in support of Operation Epic Fury B-1B Lancer and B-52H Stratofortress bomber deployments.
As the largest current operator of the Boeing 747 aircraft type, Atlas Air has extensive experience operating the iconic model, which is widely leveraged by the US Air Force. The airline trains flight crew and maintenance personnel for the US Air Force’s VC-25 and E-4 fleets, and one of the airline’s 747-8 aircraft is currently being used to prepare personnel ahead of the arrival of the VC-25B and E-4C.
