Is the Beluga Airbus still in production?
In parallel, Airbus tried to commercialize space capacity through Airbus Beluga Transport, but the venture was terminated in early 2025, and Airbus A300-600ST flights were suspended. Airbus completed the BelugaXL fleet in June 2024, with operations expected to continue for decades. The BelugaXL is not a passenger aircraft. It’s a large- capacity transport plane specially built to carry Airbus aircraft sections between factories across Europe.The Beast of Burden: The Airbus Beluga XL is a large transport aircraft developed and being built by Airbus to replace the A300-600ST Belugas. Based on the Airbus A330, the BelugaXL features newly-developed elements including lowered cockpit, a highly-enlarged cargo bay structure, and modified rear and tail section.Beluga lovers everywhere will still be able to see the replacement of the BelugaST, the even larger BelugaXL in the skies, transporting Airbus components to 11 sites around Europe. Airbus announced the retirement of the BelugaST fleet earlier in 2025.The Airbus A300-600ST (Super Transporter) or Beluga, is a version of the standard A300-600 wide-body airliner modified to carry aircraft parts and oversized cargo. It received the official name of Super Transporter early on; however, the name Beluga, a whale, gained popularity and has since been officially adopted.Airbus Beluga XL 3 ~ €183 million The problem got so bad that the Airbus A330-based Beluga XLs will continue to operate with their smaller brethren. With the B737MAX disaster stealing the wind from under the wings of Boeing, Airbus Beluga XL, priced at somewhere around €183 million, will have a lot of work.
Who owns Airbus Beluga?
Operational Use and Capabilities The Beluga fleet is operated by Airbus Transport International (ATI), a wholly owned Airbus subsidiary formed specifically to manage inter-factory logistics. How many Beluga aircraft are there? There is an in-service fleet of six BelugaXLs. Offering 30% more payload capacity than its predecessor the BST, the BXL is central to Airbus’ accelerating production ramp-up, and will phase out the original fleet, providing enhanced cargo transport capabilities for Airbus.
How many Airbus belugas are flying?
There are currently eleven Beluga aircraft in total – five Beluga ST and six Beluga XL. However, the plan is for the Beluga ST to be completely replaced by the Beluga XL in the long term. Two of the STs are no longer part of the company’s active fleet, which now comprises nine aircraft. The aircraft is operated by a crew of three – two pilots and a loadmaster. The main deck cargo volume of the Beluga is greater than that of the C-5 Galaxy or the Antonov An-124, but still smaller than Antonov An-225.
Does Airbus manufacture in the USA?
To meet the increasing aircraft demand, Airbus opened its first commercial aircraft production site in the United States in 2015. The U. S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Alabama is a $600 million, 53-acre site that produces A320 Family aircraft. Commercial Aircraft in the United States Airbus has more than 2,000 employees in its aircraft production and engineering facilities in Alabama. The first Mobile-made aircraft, an A321, was delivered in 2016, and the site has since produced more than 500 aircraft, including the A220 and A320 Family.