Airbus is observing 20 years of its Beluga cargo aircraft transporting Airbus component parts between its European manufacturing sites. Names after the white Beluga whale because of its shape, the aircraft made its maiden flight on Sept. 13, 1994.
Since 1995, the fleet of five Beluga aircraft replaced the aging Super Guppy transporters in order to supply the Airbus final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg. Today, more than 60 flights are performed each week between 11 sites, carrying crucial parts for all of the Airbus programs, including the A380.
The Beluga fleet is operated by Airbus Transport International (ATI), an Airbus subsidiary airline, and each Beluga crew is composed of a pilot, a co-pilot and a flight engineer.
With the production start of the A350 XWB in 2012 and the production ramp-up on other Airbus programmes, the Beluga activities again will substantially increase over the next five years.
“The Beluga is an essential element of Airbus’ integrated logistics and production system. It is thanks to its reliability and engagement of the Beluga teams that we can fulfil our constant pursuit of efficiency”, said Günter Butschek, Airbus Chief Operating Officer.
The Beluga is based on the twin-engine A300-600R, appreciated for its reliability and its cost-effectiveness. It is powered by General Electric CF6-80C2 engines. With its impressive dimensions (56 m long, 17 m high, a fuselage diameter of 7.71 m and a main-deck cargo volume of 1,400m3), the Beluga is the champion of its category (compared with the Antonov AN-124 or even the C-17). The Beluga can carry a maximum payload of 47 metric tonnes non-stop over a range of 1,660 km/900 nm.