While Airbus is primarily known for its large and diverse portfolio of commercial passenger aircraft, some of its most iconic designs are its Beluga and BelugaXL outsize cargo planes. These bulbous freighters are used to fly aircraft components from one site to another, with their huge fuselages rendering them instantly recognizable among both avgeeks and the general public. Now, however, the first-generation Beluga fleet is ready to retire.
With this in mind, and as reported by Timo Nowack at the German publication aeroTELEGRAPH, Airbus is considering the possibility of finding places to exhibit its original Beluga outsize freighters. These inspiring aircraft would be a shrewd addition to any museum collection, but getting them there isn’t as simple as finding a willing exhibitor and handing the jet over. Instead, such a transfer would likely represent a huge logistical challenge.
The End Of The Line
Airbus built a grand total of five Beluga outsize cargo aircraft during the 1990s. These aircraft are also known as the A300-600ST, and feature the airframe of a standard A300 but a larger fuselage that, as pictured above, allows them to transport large aircraft components such as noses and wings. More recently, Airbus went about refreshing its freighter fleet with the production of six A330-derived BelugaXL jets from 2016 to 2023.
The introduction of the BelugaXL meant that Airbus redeployed its Beluga fleet to be used at a cargo carrier known as Airbus Beluga Transport. However, this airline ceased operations earlier this year, and while the Belugas have since provided extra capacity for Airbus’s internal transport operations, they are now surplus to requirements. With this in mind, the firm is looking to exhibit them, with a spokesperson telling aeroTELEGRAPH:
“As an aircraft manufacturer with strong European roots, the teams working on the project are primarily considering exhibition venues in Europe.”
Delivering A Beluga To An Exhibition Venue Won’t Be Straightforward
According to aeroTELEGRAPH, the spokesperson for Airbus added that, should they not be exhibited, the planemaker may also look to “use them for educational purposes,” noting that “corresponding options are currently being examined.” Still, whatever they end up doing, the final transfer may be a logistical challenge.
Indeed, unless the five aircraft from the Beluga fleet are exhibited directly on-site at airports themselves, they will likely require some form of ground-based transportation in order to complete the last steps of the journey to their respective final resting places. An aircraft as small as a Boeing 727 brought traffic to a halt in the UK when its fuselage was moved by road in 2021, so it’s fair to say that an outsize freighter would be a bigger task.
When aircraft are moved by road, they are typically dismantled to some extent or another. However, the unique nature of the Beluga’s bulbous fuselage could pose further issues on this front, as, even if it is a suitable length for road transport, it is much taller than the body of an average plane, so its route would have to be very carefully selected to avoid obstacles such as low bridges and tunnels. That said, such journeys are still possible.
Other Aircraft Have Also Had Challenging Journeys To Museums
Over the years, various famous aircraft have completed challenging overland journeys to reach museum exhibits. As pictured above, a notable example is the Air France Concorde that sits on the roof of Technik Museum Sinsheim in Germany. After flying to Karlsruhe, the jet then had its wings, tail, and engines removed, before being loaded onto a barge. This took it within reach of the museum, with a special lorry taking it on the last leg.
A similar fate befell a KLM 747 in 2004, with the jet having its wings and tail dismantled before being loaded onto a barge to float through the canals of Amsterdam. This journey took it to Harderwijk, where it was lifted onto a lorry, which took it the rest of the way to the Aviodrome in Lelystad. In Norwich, meanwhile, an Avro RJ85 had a much easier transfer, as it was lifted over a fence and a road from its airport storage to an adjacent museum.
