Airbus's iconic and comical Beluga STs, originally built to shuttle wings, engines and other huge parts among Airbus's factories, are getting a midlife career shift as custom carriers for otherwise unmanageable or simply huge air cargo.
For now, the new cargo business will be operated by Airbus Transport International, the division that runs the planes for Airbus's own use, but eventually Airbus will create a separate subsidiary with its own Air Operator Certificate.
The five STs, based on the A300 design, are being replaced by six BelugaXLs, based on the larger A330. Because of increased demand for single-aisle planes, Airbus won't release all the STs as soon as their replacements are on hand. In the meantime, ATI will schedule non-Airbus runs in between and as available.
And just how big is a Beluga? It can handle loads that are 23 feet wide by 21 feet high and the length of the plane. That means, for instance, delivering large helicopters fully assembled instead of in sections, as seen in the photo above.
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