Airbus uses its fleet of massive Beluga jets to carry oversized freight like satellites and helicopters around the world — take a look

Airbus BelugaST loading helicopter.
Airbus

Airbus established an all-new cargo airline in January using its fleet of five Beluga "Super Transporter" planes.
The aircraft fly outsized freight, like satellites, helicopters, and military equipment for contract customers.
The new entity was created as air cargo remained in high demand during, and now after, the pandemic.

After decades of flying large aircraft sections for the in-house assembly of Airbus planes, the BelugaST 'Super Transporter' got a second life hauling "outsized freight" for contract customers.

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Since its induction in 1994, the Super Transporter, which is modeled off the A300-600, has carried parts like the fuselage, wings, and tail of its A320, A330, and A350 family jets for the company's cargo airline called Airbus Transport International (ATI).

Source: Airbus

The massive plane stands 56 feet tall, has a 24-foot diameter fuselage, a range of up to 2,500 nautical miles, and can carry over 100,000 pounds of payload.

Source: Insider

The sections would be flown from different manufacturing sites around Europe to Airbus' final assembly lines in Toulouse, France, and Hamburg, Germany.

Airbus assembly line in Hamburg, Germany.
Airbus

Source: Airbus

However, in 2020, Airbus started phasing out the BelugaST with six new-generation BelugaXL aircraft. The new model, which is based on the A330-200, will operate for ATI and take over the duties of the Super Transporter.

Airbus BelugaXL.
joerg joerns/Shutterstock

Source: Airbus

Despite being replaced, the BelugaST still has plenty of flight hours left in its life cycle and the company found a purpose for the fleet elsewhere.

Source: Airbus

According to Airbus, during its life flying for ATI, the Super Transporter sometimes operated outside of its normal duties of flying plane sections.

Source: Airbus

For example, it occasionally hauled other pieces of large cargo, like fully assembled satellites and oversized machinery for various companies.

The Beluga at Kennedy Space Center delivering a satellite.
Airbus

Because of its operating history, Airbus has re-purposed the five-strong Super Transporter fleet as a dedicated airline for hauling oversized freight for markets beyond commercial planes.

Source: Airbus

The airline is known as Airbus Beluga Transport and came as the pandemic created a boom in air cargo, pushing prices and demand up.

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Carriers were able to use cargo to make up for the empty passenger seats during the travel lull.

Cargo loading onto an American Airlines aircraft.
Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Source: Insider

Moreover, port congestion causing shipping delays also increases the need for air cargo, increasing demand and pushing airlines to take on more shipments.

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Airbus explained both versions of Beluga will operate in parallel until the BelugaXL is fully commissioned.

Airbus BelugaST and BelugaXL.
F. Montet/Airbus

Source: Airbus

But, once the Super Transporter fleet is phased out, it will operate with its own staff under its own Aircraft Operator Certificate.

According to the company, the BelugaST carries cargo for industry sectors like engine and helicopter manufacturers, space industries, oil, gas, and energy providers, humanitarian supply distributors, and the military.

Source: Airbus

This kind of cargo transport is possible because of the BelugaST's massive interior cross-section, which is the largest of any available transport aircraft in the world.

Airbus Beluga Transport info sheet. — The space can accommodate outsized cargo as large as 7.1 meters in height, 39 meters in length, and 6.7 meters in width.
Airbus

Source: Airbus

"For example, customers could consider in their future manufacturing process to make larger parts to be transported whole without prior disassembly," Sabo noted.

Source: Airbus

The Super Transporter's first mission in its new role involved carrying a new Airbus Helicopter from the company manufacturing plant in Marignane, France, to Kobe, Japan.

Source: Airbus

According to Airbus, the entire helicopter was put into the cargo hold, with only the long rotor blades needing to be folded back to fit. "Not having to dismantle [helicopters] first really is a plus," Sabo said.

Loading a helicopter into a BelugaST.
Airbus

Source: Airbus

Sabo also noted that the service can be used for other machinery, like satellites and engines.

Airbus BelugaST loading a fuselage section.
Airbus

Source: Airbus

He explained that in the case of satellites, manufacturers are not able to create larger designs because they don't have available means to transport something so big. But, the Super Transporter "will relieve that constraint."

For example, the new airline flew a mission to Florida on October 15 to deliver a HOTBIRD 13G satellite built by Airbus for a space launch, marking the first time a BelugaST was in the US since 2009.

Airbus' Beluga delivering the satellite.
Airbus

Source: Airbus

Another example of a BelugaST service is transporting a full engine-change kit to grounded aircraft, allowing maintenance teams to change the engine in a matter of hours because it won't need to be taken apart.

10 Tanker aircraft engine.
10 Tanker Air Carrier

Source: Airbus

"Other [types of] air transport means the engine would first need to be partially dismantled, and would subsequently need around two days to reassemble and re-test," Sabo explained.

Source: Airbus

To handle the demand of the new international operation, Airbus has modified the Super Transporter with a new flight management system and new loading techniques and equipment.

Source: Airbus

Specifically, Airbus developed an automated onboard cargo loader to "enable missions from/to airports which do not have available any suitable loading/unloading platform."

Source: Airbus

In addition to the OBCL, the company redesigned its Outboard Platform (OP) to handle the heavier and longest payloads.

Source: Airbus

According to Airbus, the OPs will be strategically placed at different airports around the globe in preparation for shipments, but they can be easily moved on short notice.

The last innovation is Airbus' new Multi-Purpose Pallet specifically developed to raise cargo five meters above the ground and load it directly into the Beluga's nose. The MPP's first operational mission was the BelugaST's flight to Kobe, Japan.