CMA CGM Signs Binding MOU with Airbus for Four A350F Aircraft

(24 Nov 2021)  The CMA CGM Group has signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for the purchase of four A350F freighter aircraft.

The order, which is subject to finalisation in the coming weeks, will lift CMA CGM’s total Airbus fleet to nine aircraft, including five A330-200F.

The aircraft will be operated by CMA CGM Air Cargo, the group's recently launched air cargo activity.

The CMA CGM Group, a shipping and logistics company headed up by Rodolphe Saadé, serves over 420 ports on 5 continents around the world.

The group’s fleet of 545 ships carried close to 21 million TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) containers in 2020.

Its CEVA Logistics subsidiary carries over 400,000 tons of air freight and 2.8 million tons of overland freight every year.

CMA CGM Group has signed a binding MOU with Airbus for the purchase of four A350F freighter aircraft

With a network of over 400 offices and 750 warehouses in 160 countries, the group employs more than 110,000 staff members worldwide, 2,400 of whom are based in Marseille where it has its registered office.

“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,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International. “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 A350F features a large main deck cargo door and a fuselage length optimised for cargo operations. Over 70% of the airframe is made of advanced materials resulting in a 30t lighter take-off weight, which According to Airbus generates an at least 20% lower fuel burn over its current closest competitor.

With a 109t payload capability (+3t payload/ 11% more volume than its competition), the A350F serves all cargo markets (express, general cargo, special cargo) and is in the large freighter category currently the only new generation operating freighter aircraft ready for the enhanced 2027 ICAO CO2 emissions standards.