There she blows (almost): first ‘white whale’ BelugaXL sections in Toulouse

The first large sections of Airbus’ next generation new "white whale" transport aircraft, the BelugaXL, have arrived at the aircraft final assembly facility in Toulouse. 

Following a five-night road convoy from Aernnova’s factory in Berantevilla, north eastern Spain, the panels (two laterals, one central) will complete the rear section of the BelugaXL. 
Together with further work packages built by other partners, the sections will eventually form the first BelugaXL. The design concept of the aircraft is similar to the current Beluga with the cargo bay structure, the aircraft’s rear-end and tail being some of the sections newly developed. 
The BelugaXL was launched in November 2014 to address the transport and ramp-up capacity requirements for Airbus beyond 2019.
The new oversize air transporters are based on the A330-200 freighter, with a large re-use of existing components and equipment. The first of five BelugaXLs will fly mid-2018 and enter into service in 2019. 
 
Left side panel of the large sections of the BelugaXL transported from Aernnova’s factory in Spain
Share this story

Related Topics

Latest europe news

Challenge Group launches freighter service to Mumbai

Challenge Group has decided to launch a scheduled freighter route between Mumbai (BOM) and Liège (LGG). Operating twice weekly, the…

Read More

Share this story

Hybrid Air Vehicles agrees production site for airship

Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) has reached an agreement with the city of Doncaster in the UK for the development of…

Read More

Share this story

DANX Carousel calls for standardised electric vehicle battery transport rules

Time-critical logistics firm DANX Carousel has called on European rulemakers to standardise regulations around the transport and storage of electric…

Read More

Share this story

Air Cargo News

Air Cargo News
Established in 1983, Air Cargo News is the leading source of news, information, interviews, analyses and reports to the global airfreight industry. Our leading portfolio includes print, digital and events that give businesses in the airfreight industry the ability to connect with decision-makers in this sector.