Airbus launches A330 Beluga

Airbus has launched the development and production of five new Beluga aircraft. The new Belugas will be based on the A330 with a large re-use of existing components and equipment.
The first of the five new Belugas will enter in service in mid-2019. The existing Beluga fleet will operate in parallel, and will be progressively retired through to 2025.


The distinctive looking lowered cockpit, the cargo bay structure and the rear-end and tail will be among the items which will be newly developed.

The current Beluga fleet of five aircraft is based on the A300. The Beluga, is Airbus’ instrument for transporting large aircraft components between company production sites in Europe.

Airbus had already launched “the Fly 10000” project aiming at doubling the current Beluga capacity by 2017. However, with the A350 XWB production being ramped up, the current capacity is unsufficient and the new Beluga fleet will fill this capacity gap.

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