Airbus Beluga

The Airbus A300-600ST, widely known as the Beluga, is a specialised widebody transport aircraft developed to carry large-scale and outsize aerospace components. Designed to support Airbus’s geographically dispersed production system, the Beluga became an essential element of the company’s logistical network and eventually evolved into a limited but versatile outsize-cargo carrier for global operations. Although originally named the Super Transporter, its whale-like appearance led to the popular adoption of the nickname Beluga, which Airbus later formalised.
The aircraft entered service in 1995 and represented a major improvement over the ageing Aero Spacelines Super Guppy fleet previously used for inter-factory transportation. It remained operational for three decades and continued in limited charter operations until Airbus announced the closure of its Beluga Transport services in January 2025. The type has been progressively superseded by the larger A330-based BelugaXL.

Background and Origins of the Programme

When Airbus began operations in 1970, component movement was initially achieved using ground transport. However, the rapid expansion of output soon rendered such methods impractical for timely delivery. From 1972, Airbus adopted a small fleet of highly modified Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft—turbine-powered conversions of 1940s Boeing Stratocruisers—originally used by the United States space programme. These aircraft allowed the movement of wings, fuselage sections and other substantial assemblies between manufacturing locations, prompting the oft-cited remark that “every Airbus is delivered on the wings of a Boeing.”
By the early 1980s the Super Guppy fleet had become increasingly problematic. Their age caused high operating costs, limited reliability, and capacity constraints. Airbus undertook various studies to identify replacement options, examining transport by road, rail and sea. These surface alternatives were rejected owing to slow journey times, weather sensitivity and infrastructural limitations, especially at Toulouse, where final assembly lines were poorly served by such routes.
A new aircraft therefore became essential. Airbus required a purpose-built transporter capable of carrying its largest components, including the heavy wings of the forthcoming A340 family. Several large aircraft—including the Antonov An-124, An-225, Ilyushin Il-86, Boeing 747, Boeing 767, Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III—were evaluated. None offered sufficient internal dimensions, and external piggyback transport concepts were deemed unsuitable. Boeing proposed converting 767 aircraft, but Airbus partners considered a derivative of the in-production A300 more advantageous.
In August 1991, the Airbus partners Aérospatiale and DASA formed Super Airbus Transport International (SATIC), a 50-50 joint venture headquartered in Toulouse, to develop a bespoke outsize transporter based on the A300 platform. This aircraft was later designated the A300-600ST Super Transporter.

Design, Construction and Certification

Following conceptual design studies by SATIC, detailed engineering work was undertaken by Aérospatiale and DASA. Fifteen major work packages were distributed among subcontractors across Europe. Construcciones Aeronáuticas S.A. produced the enlarged upper fuselage section, Dornier Flugzeugwerke supplied hydraulic systems, and Stelia Aerospace performed final assembly.
The Beluga was not simply a modified A300 but a substantially re-engineered derivative. It featured:

• A dramatically enlarged upper fuselage with a circular cross-section suited to outsize components.
• A cargo bay approximately 7 metres in diameter and 37 metres long.
• A distinctive upward-hinged nose door enabling direct loading into the cargo hold.
• Structural strengthening and revised flight-deck arrangements, allowing the cockpit to remain undisturbed during cargo operations.

Construction of the first airframe commenced in September 1992, and its maiden flight occurred on 13 September 1994. After completing 335 hours of flight testing, the aircraft received restricted certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in October 1995, permitting entry into service the same year.
Airbus initially planned to build four aircraft, exercising an option for a fifth as demand increased. Each airframe—apart from the prototype—required roughly three years to complete, and production proceeded at one per year.

Operational Use and Capabilities

The Beluga fleet is operated by Airbus Transport International (ATI), a wholly owned Airbus subsidiary formed specifically to manage inter-factory logistics. The aircraft conduct frequent shuttle flights between Airbus production centres in Toulouse, Hamburg, Broughton, Bremen, Saint-Nazaire and other European sites. At peak usage, the Beluga fleet performed around 60 such flights per week.
Technical performance enabled a maximum payload of approximately 47 tonnes, while the large cargo bay allowed the transport of completed wings, fuselage barrels and other major modules central to Airbus’s industrial system. Compared with the Super Guppy, the Beluga offered significantly improved speed, reliability, maintainability and economic efficiency.
Although conceived for internal use, ATI periodically offered charter capacity. Over the years, the Beluga has transported a wide range of special consignments, including:

• Components of space stations and launch systems
• Oversized industrial machinery
• Sculptures and large artworks
• Entire helicopters and delicate aerostructures
• Humanitarian aid requiring rapid deployment

By May 1998 ATI set targets to generate revenue by leasing surplus capacity during periods of lower Airbus demand.

Further Development and Successor Concepts

Positive experience with the Beluga programme led SATIC to examine further outsize-freighter derivatives during the late 1990s. Studies considered variants based on the Airbus A330 and A340 families, and design work explored combining the Beluga-style upward-hinged nose with a conventional upper deck layout for general freight operations. Although a niche market was identified—particularly among military and heavy-lift operators—no commercial orders materialised.
The unit cost of the A300-600ST was approximately $183 million, reflecting its bespoke engineering and limited production run.
By the mid-2010s, Airbus’s growing aircraft families, notably the A350 XWB, required a transporter with even greater capacity. In 2014 the company confirmed development of the BelugaXL, based on the A330-200, which offered a wider internal cross-section and roughly 12% increase in payload. The BelugaXL was designed specifically to transport two A350 wings simultaneously—a major improvement over the original Beluga, which could carry only one.
The BelugaXL entered service in 2020 and is expected to replace the A300-600ST fleet entirely. Airbus had previously evaluated the A330-300 and A340-500 as possible bases for the new transporter, but performance limitations at Hawarden Airport, where A350 wings are produced, influenced the final choice.

Later Operations and Programme Closure

Despite the introduction of the BelugaXL, the original Beluga airframes remained fully operational into the 2020s, and Airbus extended their use to external charter markets. On 25 January 2022 the company announced a formal commercial service providing outsize-cargo transport using the Beluga fleet, opening new opportunities in aerospace logistics, heavy industry and humanitarian support.
However, after securing its own Air Operator Certificate and operating commercially for just 14 months, Airbus elected to close its Beluga Transport division in January 2025. This decision aligned with the long-term transition to the BelugaXL fleet and the diminishing industrial necessity for the older A300-600ST aircraft.