Reading Time: 2 minutes Beluga XL, the giant airlifter with maximum payload of 51 tons (able to carry approximately seven adult elephants at once) has finally received EASA type certification. This milestone brings closer the date this massive aircraft will enter service in 2020.  The BelugaXL allows for 30% extra transport capacity being seven metres longer and one metre […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute The first of five BelugaXL aircraft to fly has landed at Toulouse-Blagnac, France local time after successfully completing its first flight lasting four hours and 11 minutes. The crew in the cockpit on board this flight comprised: Captain Christophe Cail, Co-Pilot Bernardo Saez-Benito Hernandez and Test-Flight Engineer Jean Michel Pin. Meanwhile, monitoring the aircraft systems […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute The first BelugaXL has rolled out of the paintshop unveiling a special livery making it look like a Beluga Whale. The livery was one of six choices submitted to Airbus employees through a poll where 20,000 people participated. With 40% votes in favour, the smiley livery won. The BelugaXL will now undertake gound tests before […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes With development of the new Beluga XL airlifter, Airbus is creating a platform tailored to meet its evolving transport needs in the decades to come – particularly to support future production ramp-ups for the company’s range of modern single-aisle and widebody jetliners.  The Beluga XL programme was launched in November 2014, with this oversized transporter […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute The first of Airbus’ five new Beluga XL airlifter “giants” will begin taking shape early next year, initiating the creation of a new jetliner fleet to transport complete sections of the company’s aircraft from production sites around Europe to final assembly lines in France, Germany and Spain. Beluga XL’s lower fuselage will be the same […]