Airbus to Produce Five New Belugas

To industrially accompany the A350 XWB ramp-up and other aircraft production rate increases, Airbus has taken the decision to launch the development and production of five new Belugas.

The new Beluga will be based on the A330 with a large re-use of existing components and equipment.

The distinctive looking lowered cockpit, the cargo bay structure and the rear-end and tail will be amongst the items which will be newly developed.

The first of the five new Belugas will enter in service in mid-2019, and while the existing Beluga fleet will operate in parallel, it will be progressively retired through to 2025.

The current Beluga fleet of five aircraft is based on the A300. The Beluga, is Airbus’ unique method for transporting large aircraft components between company production sites in Europe.

Airbus already has a project aimed at doubling the current Beluga capacity by 2017, the new Belugas will help with this target.