Airbus BelugaST completes final flight to Broughton, where the retired freighter will be converted into a STEM education centre for schools
One of Airbus’ BelugaST aircraft, formally among the largest in the world, will be rehomed in the UK, with plans to turn it into a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) support facility at Airbus Broughton in North Wales.
Schools and community groups across the UK will gain access to the world of aviation through the Beluga STEM facility.
The super jumbo touched down in Broughton at around 11am GMT having completed its final flight from Bordeaux after a 30-year career as the backbone of Airbus’ industrial logistics.
The BelugaST fleet, first launched in 1994, has predominantly been used to transport wings made in the UK to other Airbus facilities around Europe.
Gareth Davies, head of Airbus Broughton, said: “It’s a proud and incredibly exciting moment for Broughton. This particular Beluga first took flight 25 years ago, and since then has played a crucial part in transporting our wings from Broughton to Airbus’ mainland European sites.
"By transforming this aircraft into an education facility, we aren’t just preserving our history, we are using it to fuel the future of UK aerospace and inspire the talent of tomorrow.”
“The focus will be to promote STEM in a fun and interactive way to inspire young people to consider a career in science, technology, engineering and maths.”
Davies added that the STEM activities will be designed in conjunction with local schools to ensure alignment with the national curriculum.
Didier Puxeddu, BelugaST pilot who flew the last mission said: “Flying the Beluga has always been a unique privilege, and bringing the ST5 home to Broughton for the last time was no different.
"As we made our final approach, we were all too aware of the history behind us. Knowing this aircraft will now stay here to inspire future pilots and engineers makes this touchdown one of the most rewarding of my career.”
The replacement of the BelugaST, the even larger BelugaXL is still operating to transporting Airbus components to 11 sites around Europe.
Airbus announced the retirement of the BelugaST fleet in January 2025. From mid-2027, the larger BelugaXL fleet will be the sole transporter of components for Airbus.
