Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, parent of Atlas Air, Polar Air Cargo, and lessor Titan Aviation Holdings, has placed a firm order for twenty A350Fs, becoming the largest customer for the freighter type.

In a joint statement on March 16, the parties said the deal marks the largest single commitment yet for Airbus’ new widebody freighter and introduces the aircraft to the fleet plans of the US-based cargo specialist, which currently operates, owns, and manages a fleet of 113 Boeing aircraft, according to CEO Michael Steen.

He told Bloomberg News the company also holds options to purchase 20 more of the A350 freighters.

The aircraft will support future growth across its outsourced air cargo and ACMI operations, Steen stated. "This investment that we’re making here is to continue to grow," he told Bloomberg, citing "significant" demand for its services, requiring more aircraft. "This order is going to make Atlas more valuable and certainly also more competitive."

The order secures early delivery positions for the aircraft, Steen said, and reflects the company’s strategy of operating a modern, fuel-efficient widebody freighter fleet.

"The A350F is a highly capable and reliable platform with incremental payload and range benefits and a strong sustainability profile," he said, adding that the order also expands Atlas’ supplier base to include both Airbus and Rolls-Royce.

In addition, the order represents a commercial milestone for Airbus, the parties said, bolstering the market position of the A350F as the first all-new large-freighter design in decades.

Lars Wagner, CEO of commercial aircraft at Airbus, said Atlas’ selection of the type, the first in the United States, "cements the A350F’s position as the preferred true all-new-generation freighter for the world’s most demanding cargo operators."

Derived from the A350 platform, the A350F will feature the industry’s biggest main-deck cargo door and a fuselage optimised for standard cargo pallets and containers. More than 70% of the airframe will be built from advanced materials, enabling a lower structural weight and improved efficiency compared with converted freighter designs.

According to Airbus, the A350F will be the only large freighter designed to fully meet International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) carbon emission standards due to take effect in 2027.

New York-based Atlas Air Worldwide operates global cargo and charter services to more than 300 destinations across 90 countries.

According to ch-aviation fleets data, Atlas Air's and Polar Air Cargo's combined fleet of 90 aircraft includes thirteen B777-200Fs with two more on order, three B767-300ER(BDSF)s, two B767-300ER(BCF)s, five B767-300ERs, nineteen B747-8Fs with two more on order; thirty-three B747-400FSCDs, two B747-400ERFs, four B747-400(LCF)s, two B747-400(BDSF)s, two B747-400(BCF)s, and five B747-400s.