Welcome aboard Beluga Transport. A newcomer to the circle of airlines, small in structure but with a giant fleet. She was just introduced to Toulouse by the aircraft manufacturer
Airbus, which therefore decided to create a subsidiary to diversify into commercial freight thanks to its
Belugas, its iconic XXL humpback planes.
Until now, the manufacturer has used its five sky whales, which attract the gaze of enthusiasts as they pass through the air, to transport sections of devices between its European sites. But as their dimensions are outsized – 6.7 meters high by 7.1 m wide, enough to transport a helicopter without having to dismantle it – the aircraft manufacturer thinks that they can benefit other sectors of activity. Especially since six new Beluga XL freighters, even more pot-bellied, are about to be put into service.
For the army or humanitarian missions
“The Beluga’s wider fuselage cross-section will open up new markets and new logistical possibilities for customers,” predicts Philippe Sabo, head of wide-body transport at Airbus. The manufacturer cites “space, energy, the army, aeronautics, the maritime sector and the humanitarian sector” as sectors of potential users.
The first commercial mission of a Beluga has already taken place. At the end of 2021, an air giant flew from Marignane for a helicopter delivery to Kobe, Japan, to a client whose identity is kept secret. The cargo plane had to make three stopovers to refuel, in Poland, Russia and then South Korea.