Airbus’s super transport ‘flying whale’ retires

On January 29, the super transport BelugaST took off from Bordeaux (France) and landed in Broughton (North Wales), completing its final flight. Airbus said that this vehicle turns 25 years old on December 12, 2025 and is the most used one in the BelugaST fleet to transport satellites to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. In addition, during its operational life it transported approximately 1,700 aircraft wings, completing more than 13,300 flights between Airbus facilities.

The plane is expected to stay in the UK, converted into an educational facility to inspire children to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). “Knowing that the plane will stay here to inspire future pilots and engineers makes this landing one of the most meaningful moments of my career,” said Didier Puxeddu, pilot of the BelugaST on its final flight.

BelugaST is a super transport engine that transports aircraft parts, impressing with its funny appearance, often called the “flying whale” due to its bulging head resembling a beluga white whale. Airbus built five of these aircraft and put them into service in 1994, mainly to transport wings from the UK factory to other facilities across Europe.

The aircraft was originally named A300-600ST (Super Transporter), but the whale-inspired moniker was so popular that Airbus later officially renamed them BelugaST. The front of the plane can be opened like the back of a car, creating a large door to receive large cargo. The aircraft’s payload is 40 tons, equivalent to the weight of a humpback whale.

BelugaST has performed many impressive missions in its more than 30 years of operation. Another unusual task was the transportation of a famous painting The Goddess of Liberty leads the people (Liberty Leading the People) by famous artist Eugène Delacroix from Paris to Tokyo. At 2.99 m high and 3.62 m long, the painting is too bulky for conventional means. So it was brought to BelugaST in a special pressurized container with anti-vibration equipment.

In 1997, BelugaST set a world record for the heaviest load transported by air when it carried a giant chemical tank to a merchant ship. In 2003, the aircraft continued to set a record when it performed the longest charter flight, flying more than 25 hours (including stopover time) to transport three helicopters from France to Australia.

The plane piloted by Puxeddu on January 29 was the first member of the BelugaST team to “retire”. The remaining ships are expected to be decommissioned next year. However, those who love this aircraft do not need to be too sad. BelugaXL, their larger “brother”, will be in charge of transporting bulky components for Airbus from mid-2027, inheriting the mission of its predecessor.