LONDON – Etihad Airways has today signed a letter of intent with Airbus for five A350 Freighters at the Singapore Air Show.

This will join the fleet of five A350-1000s that the carrier has on back order already.

Commenting on the news was Tony Douglas, the GCEO of Etihad Aviation Group:

“Etihad is delighted to extend our relationship with Airbus to include this remarkable aircraft as part of our freighter fleet for the future”.

“As our cargo operations continue to overperform and we work towards a more sustainable future built upon the world’s youngest and most fuel-efficient fleet, the addition of the A350F will play a key role in driving our long-term cargo strategy and achieving our 2035 target to reduce CO ₂ emissions by 50%.”

Also commenting on the news was Christian Scherer, Airbus’ sales chief:

“We are pleased to sign this agreement with our long-standing partner Etihad, shortly before this most discerning airline also introduces A350 passenger service.”

“Thank you, Etihad for endorsing the game-changing nature of the new A350F”.

“The world’s only new generation large freighter will be unmatched in its market segment in terms of range, fuel consumption, and CO₂ savings.”

Etihad will benefit from a 109-tonne payload capacity on each A350 Freighter and strengthens Airbus’ backlog for this aircraft type at 29 from five different customers.