Airbus developed the special Beluga aircraft in 1996, based on the A300-600R model, to transport large aircraft components between its production sites. At the beginning of 2022, the company decided to offer these planes for third-party oversized cargo transport with the Beluga A300-600ST model, establishing the Airbus Beluga Transport division. However, less than two years later, on 17 January, Airbus announced the end of this initiative.
Airbus Beluga Transport obtained its AOC flight certificate in November 2023, but the company has decided to terminate its operations for economic reasons, without providing further details. The final flight of the Beluga A300-600ST took place on 17 January 2025 with the aircraft F-GSTB, which flew the route between Bremen and Toulouse. During its first year of operations, the BelugaST fleet travelled to various parts of the world, including Sydney, Melbourne, Dubai, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Shenzhen. However, the initiative apparently failed to ensure the economic sustainability needed to continue.
In parallel with the expansion of Airbus Beluga Transport, Airbus developed and introduced the BelugaXL, a new-generation model based on the A330-200. This aircraft, designed to support the increased production of the A350 and other internal Airbus programmes, offers 30% more transport capacity compared to the BelugaST. The fleet of six BelugaXL aircraft, completed in 2024, is now operational with Airbus Transport International and is primarily used on intra-European routes, transporting components between sites such as Toulouse, Hamburg, and Saint-Nazaire.
With the closure of Airbus Beluga Transport, the five BelugaST aircraft have been re-registered under the Airbus Transport International fleet and are currently parked at airports in Bordeaux and Toulouse. Airbus has not yet determined the future of these aircraft, leaving open the possibility of new configurations or uses.
