Kalitta Air, the Michigan-based cargo airline best known for its fleet of Boeing freighters, has been named by Reuters as the previously undisclosed customer behind a firm order for eight Airbus A350F freighters. The airline itself has not confirmed the deal and says it is still evaluating the aircraft.
Airbus recorded the eight-aircraft A350F order in its August orders and deliveries data, but listed the buyer as "undisclosed". On October 9, Reuters reported that Kalitta Air had placed the order, citing people familiar with the matter. If confirmed, it would be a notable move for a carrier whose long-haul cargo operation has been built almost entirely around Boeing widebodies.
Kalitta says it has no order to announce
Kalitta Air did not confirm the report. "Kalitta Air is evaluating the Airbus A350F platform as part of our long-term fleet planning," an airline spokesperson told Reuters. "At this time, we remain in the evaluation phase and have no aircraft order to announce."
That leaves the story in an unusual position. Airbus counts the eight aircraft as a firm order, while the airline named by Reuters describes itself as still weighing the type. Undisclosed orders are common in the industry, and customers are often revealed only months later, sometimes at an air show or when deliveries draw closer. Until Airbus or Kalitta confirm the buyer, the link between the two should be treated as a report rather than an announcement.
A Boeing-heavy freighter fleet
Kalitta Air has been modernising its fleet in recent years as it works to replace ageing Boeing 747 freighters. According to Air Cargo News, aircraft lessor AerCap began delivering converted Boeing 777-300 freighters to Kalitta in 2025 as part of a seven-aircraft deal, with Kalitta serving as launch operator for the conversion.
Fleet tracking data cited by Air Cargo News shows all seven of those converted 777-300 freighters have now been delivered. They fly alongside eight production Boeing 777Fs and 19 Boeing 747-400s, a mix of factory-built freighters and converted passenger jets. An order for A350Fs would therefore bring a second widebody manufacturer into a fleet that is currently all Boeing on the long-haul side.
Where the A350F stands
The A350F is Airbus's new-generation large freighter, developed from the A350 passenger family and aimed squarely at the same market as Boeing's 777-8 Freighter and existing 777Fs. It features a large main-deck cargo door behind the wing on the left side of the fuselage and is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.
The programme reached a major milestone on August 29, when the A350F prototype made its maiden flight from Toulouse, France. The aircraft is now set to undertake a nine-month test and certification campaign. Airbus is targeting simultaneous certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under the latest Amendment 27 safety regulations, and has said certification is targeted by the middle of next year.
Commercially, the freighter has been gathering momentum. Air Cargo News reports that Airbus has now secured orders for 115 A350Fs from at least 14 customers, including 34 orders so far in 2026. Each new customer matters for Airbus, which has historically held a much smaller share of the large-freighter market than Boeing.
Why a Kalitta order would matter
Kalitta Air is one of the larger US-based cargo airlines and flies charter and contract cargo services for major logistics customers, including long-haul flights across the Pacific and the Atlantic. Its 747-400 freighters, the backbone of its fleet for many years, are getting older, and the airline will eventually need replacement capacity in the large-freighter category.
A firm commitment to the A350F would give Kalitta a modern, more fuel-efficient freighter with long-range capability, while also giving Airbus a high-profile American cargo customer. It would also signal that US operators are willing to look beyond Boeing as they plan the next generation of widebody freighters.
For now, Airbus has an order on its books, Reuters has named a customer, and Kalitta says it has nothing to announce. The picture should become clearer as the A350F moves through flight testing and towards certification next year.
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