Last Airbus BelugaXL Enters Service

Airbus has officially completed its BelugaXL fleet, with the final aircraft entering service.

The European manufacturer began the transition to the BelugaXL in 2018, planning to develop six units to replace the original Beluga, also known as the A300-600ST.

Since 2018, the planemaker has continued to build the aircraft, certify them, enter them into service and thus transition to a much more modern aircraft to cater to the missions needed.

The BelugaXL offers 30% more payload than the first edition of the Beluga, and this is hugely important for Airbus in the safe and speedy transportation of essential parts.

Furthermore, the XL’s capabilities are required for the planemakers as they venture into the next era. This next era focuses on the increased production rates of several critical aircraft programmes.

While supply chain issues are still present, having the six BelugaXLs on hand will allow the company to advance substantially quicker than ever before when building aircraft.

Major Benefits For Airbus

The BelugaXL is critical to the assembly process for Airbus aircraft, transporting key parts between various facilities. Moreover, thanks to advanced loading facilities across Europe, it can turn around in just 70 minutes, making it one of Airbus’ most efficient endeavours.

Airbus says the BelugaXL is based on the A330-200 and comes with a range of 2,200 nautical miles. While the aircraft primarily focuses on missions for Airbus, it is big enough to swallow 27 smaller cars or seven elephants, as cited in a release.

However, one of the biggest benefits is its ability to accommodate the A350 fuselage section, the largest component of the aircraft. Thanks to its ability to carry A350 parts, it can also carry two of the A350’s wings, double what the previous version could.

30 Years Of Flying For BelugaXL

The BelugaXL isn’t expected to disappear anytime soon. Airbus plans for this aircraft to remain in its fleet for up to thirty years before a true successor is required.

Airbus has ensured that the long life of the BelugaXL can be made possible thanks to the eventual adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Manufacturers, like airlines and other aviation companies, are putting significant emphasis on greener operations.

With such a focus on greener operations in 2023, Airbus Transport International, or ATI, saw over half of its fuel consumption be with SAF. By 2030, the ambition is to rely entirely on SAF for the BelugaXL operations.

Efficiency is at the forefront of the company’s focus. The larger capacity also has a huge impact, enabling fewer flights than previously required.