Airbus and the CMA CGM Group have today signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase of four A350F Freighters. The order will be finalized in the coming weeks, increasing the Group’s Airbus fleet to nine aircraft.
On Friday (November 19, 2021), Airbus announced the signing of a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CMA CGM Group for the purchase of four Airbus A350F Freighters. The order will be finalized in the coming weeks, expanding the Group’s total Airbus fleet to nine aircraft, including five A330-200Fs. The new aircraft will be operated by CMA CGM Air Cargo, the company’s newly launched air cargo division. The Airbus A350F is based on the company’s long-haul leader, the A350, and features a large main deck cargo door and a fuselage length optimized for cargo. Over 70 percent of the airframe is made of advanced materials, lowering the takeoff weight by 30 tons, resulting in a 20 percent lower fuel burn versus the competition. The aircraft also offers a 109 ton payload capacity, approximately three tons and 11 percent more volume than rival aircraft.
In Friday’s announcement, Airbus’ Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International, Christian Scherer, said,
“We are proud to welcome CMA CGM AIR CARGO in the group of operators for the A350F and we are equally pleased to support the company’s future strategic development. The A350F will fit seamlessly into the carrier’s existing fleet of Airbus freighters. Thanks to its composite airframe and latest technology engines, it will bring unbeatable efficiency in terms of fuel burn, economics and CO₂ emissions, empowering the long-term sustainable growth of the Group. Having an early endorsement by such an international cargo powerhouse as the CMA CGM Group is very gratifying.”
The CMA CGM Group is a world leader in shipping and logistics led by Rodolphe Saadé. The company serves over 420 ports on five continents with a fleet of 545 ships, and carried close to 21 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) containers in 2020. With their CEVA Logistics subsidiary carrying over 400,000 tons of air cargo and 2.8 million tons of overland cargo annually, and CMA CGM Air Cargo, the Group is constantly innovating to offer their customers end-to-end freight solutions. The CMA CGM Group has a network of over 400 offices and 750 warehouses in 160 countries and employs over 110,000 team members worldwide, including 2,400 at the company’s headquarters in Marseille.
Source: Airbus