Air France-KLM announces that it will order 50 Airbus A350s and will obtain purchasing rights for 40 additional aircraft. The Franco-Dutch group wants to accelerate the renewal of the long-haul fleet and, with this operation, subject to corporate approval, the group is on track to become the world’s largest operator of family aircraft Airbus A350.
The order will include the A350-900 and 1000. However, the exact distribution between the two variants is not yet known, as the first deliveries are expected to take place between 2026 and 2030.
CEO Benjamin Smith said the A350 had “quickly become a favorite of Air France passengers and crew since entering service in 2019”. The model “adapts perfectly to the needs of the group’s network and is characterized by exceptional performance”.
By 2028, new generation aircraft will represent 64% of the Air France-KLM fleet, a substantial increase compared to 5% in 2019. To date, the group operates 533 aircraft worldwide and, more With this order, it will have more than 220 devices awaiting delivery.
The new planes are intended to replace Airbus A330s and older Boeing 777s in the two airlines’ fleets. This order complements an existing order from Air France-KLM for 41 Airbus A350-900s for Air France, of which 22 have already been delivered.
Today, KLM also operates 13 Boeing 787-9s and ten Boeing 787-10s. Air France-KLM also has open orders with Boeing for five additional 787-10s; all these devices will go to KLM.
