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Nose-loading door of BelugaXL open with airstairs attached.
The BelugaXL is one of the few cargo planes in the world that has a nose-loading door.

Shan Yuqi/Xinhua via Getty Images

  • Airbus received its final BelugaXL freighter in July 2023, used mostly to transport airplane parts.
  • The jet replaced the old Beluga "Super Transporter" as Airbus' airliner production rates increased.
  • The smiling BelugaXL boasts a 30% larger cargo capacity than the BelugaST.

In November, Airbus' mammoth freighter, the Beluga "Super Transporter," received its own air operator certificate and officially became a new independent airline.

The five-strong BelugaST fleet mostly transported airplane parts for Airbus' cargo subsidiary, Airbus Transport International, for more than 20 years but now they fly under a newly established subsidiary called Airbus Beluga Transport, or AiBT to serve contract customers looking to move large items.

The move to AiBT comes after Airbus produced a bigger and more efficient replacement for the old-generation BelugaST to support the increased production of its commercial airliners — meet the BelugaXL.

Airbus created the first BelugaST in 1994, designed to stand 56 feet high and stretch 147 feet from wingtip to wingtip.
An Airbus BelugaST.
The BelugaST is the predecessor to the BelugaXL.

Airbus

The plane was based on the A300-600 airliner and is commonly referred to as the A300-600ST. The diameter of the jet is 24 feet, with a payload capacity of 100,000 pounds of cargo.

The BelugaST carried outsized freight — like the tails and wings of an A320 — to the planemaker's various assembly lines across Europe.
The BelugaST with an A320 fuselage inside.
Airbus secured an operator's certificate to fly in the US.

Philippe Huguen/AFP via Getty Images

During the BelugaST's first mission under AiBT, though using ATI flight and ground crews, the plane flew a helicopter to Kobe, Japan, and the helicopter did not have to be disassembled for transport.

As the demand for commercial jetliners and the need for greater capacity grew, so did the Beluga jet.
Airbus BelugaST.
Airbus BelugaST loading an aircraft tail.

Airbus

As production rates increased, especially the Airbus A320 and Airbus A350, Airbus needed an aircraft that could carry more parts and with greater efficiency.

The larger BelugaXL was born in 2018, and the sixth and last one of its type rolled out of the paint shop in July 2023.
The Airbus BelugaXL on the assembly line in 2018.
The Airbus BelugaXL on the assembly line in 2018.

Pascal Pavani/AFP via Getty Images

The first BelugaXL, which is a heavily modified version of the A330-200 twin-engine freighter, entered service in January 2020 after some 700 flight hours across more than 200 test flights.

Using the A330-200 as a base allowed the BelugaXL to re-use "existing components and equipment" and fit into already available infrastructure.

Equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, the BelugaXL can fly about 2,500 miles nonstop and carry up to 51 tons of cargo.
Airbus BelugaST and BelugaXL.
Airbus BelugaST and BelugaXL.

F. Montet/Airbus

The Beluga stands 62 feet tall with a wingspan of 197 feet — making it much larger than its predecessor.

According to Airbus, it lowered the cockpit and redeveloped the rear end, cargo bay structure, and tail to give the BelugaXL "its distinctive look."

The range is about the same as the BelugaST, but its cargo transport capacity is 30% more, according to Airbus.
A BelugaXL landing parallel to a British Airways A350.
A BelugaXL landing next to a British Airways A350.

JoanValls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The giant cargo capacity is thanks to the BelugaXL having the "largest cargo bay cross-section of all existing cargo aircraft worldwide," according to Airbus.

Airbus has also managed to cut the turnaround time of the BelugaXL down to just one hour, which is half of what the BelugaST could offer.
A view of the BelugaXL from behind.
A view of the BelugaXL from behind.

Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

"Its high-speed cargo loading system means we can significantly reduce turnaround times — something which is key to achieving our targets," Phillippe Sabo, head of transport at Airbus, said in a statement.

The BelugaXL also sports the same nose-loading capability as its younger sister, which is rare in the industry.
The nose-loading door of the BelugaXL open.
The nose-loading door of the BelugaXL open.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Aside from Airbus' Beluga freighters, the Boeing 747, the Antonov An-124, and the C-5 Galaxy also offer nose-loading doors.

Since its debut, the jet has supported the production of Airbus' growing global fleet of commercial airliners, particularly the A350.
The BelugaXL carrying its first set of A350 wings in 2019.
The BelugaXL carrying its first set of A350 wings in 2019.

Airbus

According to Airbus, the BelugaXL was designed to carry a full set of A350 wings at once — the BelugaST could only carry one at a time.

The giant plane can also "carry the A350 XWB's largest fuselage section with room to spare."

And the plane is hard to miss. Airbus leaned into the Beluga theme with the aircraft livery, giving the whale-shaped jet a smile and two big eyes.
The smiling BelugaXL flying over a busy road in France.
The smiling BelugaXL flying over a busy road in France.

Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

"We are really impressed with the aircraft," Sabo said. "The way it behaves is fantastic and I particularly like the livery – it feels like the aircraft is looking at me when I'm close to it!"

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Transportation, Aviation, Aircraft, Planes, belugaxl, belugast, Airbus, cargo-planes, business-visual-features
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Airbus has completely replaced its old BelugaST fleet with the bigger BelugaXL…