The service, Airbus Beluga Transport, serves commercial customers moving outsized cargo in sectors including space, energy and humanitarian.
The first mission took place at the end of 2021 when Beluga #3 moved a helicopter from France to Japan with stops in Poland, Russia and South Korea.
Philippe Sabo, Head of ATI and Air Oversize Transport at Airbus says: “The Beluga’s wider cross-section will open up new markets and new logistical possibilities for customers. In the case of loading helicopters - not having to dismantle them first - really is a plus. Similarly, the largest commercial aircraft engines can be accommodated in a fully-dressed configuration.”
The A300-600-based ST is being replaced by the BelugaXL for inter-site transport and will be handed over to a new subsidiary with its own Air Operator Certificate.
It can carry a payload of up to 40 tons and has the largest interior cross-section of any commercial aircraft, carrying cargo up to 7.1 metres wide and 6.7 metres high.