Bearing a name entirely befitting its whale-like appearance, the Beluga is one of the most distinctive aircraft types to ever grace the skies. Airbus’ in-house airline, Airbus Transport International (ATI), uses two generations of this charismatic aeroplane to transport aircraft subassemblies and components between its European factories. They are the BelugaST (the ST stands for Super Transporter), introduced in the mid-1990s, and the higher-capacity BelugaXL, which entered service early in 2020.
At the time of writing in November 2021, Airbus was operating three STs and three XLs. It once operated five STs – two have been retired and are currently parked up at Bordeaux- Mérignac, France awaiting their fate. Three more XLs are due by the end of 2023.
Airbus developed the Beluga as a higher-capacity replacement for the four Aérospatiale Super Guppy outsize airlifters – themselves highly modified former United States Air Force Boeing 337 Stratocruisers – that once transported subassemblies and components from the aviation giant’s factories across Europe to its various final assembly lines.
To create the Beluga, the manufacturer took the lower fuselage, wings, and landing gear from its popular A300 wide…
