The Air France-KLM Group today announced that it plans to place a landmark aircraft order to pursue the renewal and rationalization of its long-haul fleet, to the benefit of the Group’s environmental and economic performance.
This Group order will cover 50 Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft – with purchase rights for 40 additional aircraft – with first deliveries expected in 2026 through to 2030.
This will be an evolutionary order, providing the Group with flexibility to allocate aircraft within its portfolio of airlines, according to market dynamics and local regulatory conditions.
Benjamin Smith, Air France-KLM CEO stated: “This new order will be a major step in the renewal of the Group’s fleet.
“The Airbus A350 is a state-of-the-art aircraft with an excellent track record at Air France, where it has rapidly become a favorite among passengers and crew since its entry into service in 2019.
“It is the perfect fit for the network needs of the Group and boasts outstanding performances: it is a quieter, more fuel efficient and more cost-effective aircraft compared to previous generations.
“It will be instrumental in helping the Group reach our ambitious sustainability targets, including -30% CO2 emissions per passenger kilometer by 2030.”
These aircraft will replace previous-generation aircraft, namely Airbus A330 and older Boeing 777 aircraft.
This new order will come in addition to an existing Air France-KLM order for 41 Airbus A350-900s for Air France, of which 22 have been delivered to date.
Air France-KLM will also be among the launch customers of the Airbus A350 Full Freighter version of the aircraft, having ordered 8 aircraft to renew and expand its cargo fleet.
With these combined orders, covering up to 99 aircraft, Air France-KLM would become the world’s largest A350 family aircraft operator.
