Airbus has carried out the maiden flight of its fourth BelugaXL high-capacity transport, which took off from Toulouse on 20 July. The Rolls-Royce Trent 700-powered aircraft is one of six being constructed by Airbus for its logistics transport division. Airbus has been gradually withdrawing its older A300-600ST Beluga fleet from service as the larger XL […]
The BelugaXL has entered into service, providing Airbus with 30% extra transport capacity in order to support the on-going production ramp-up of commercial aircraft programmes. The aircraft, which is an integral part of Airbus’ industrial system, made its first operational flight on 9 January. This is the first of six BelugaXL to begin work alongside […]
The first BelugaXL took off this morning from Blagnac in Toulouse, France at 10:30 hrs local time, for its maiden flight over south-western France. The aircraft is the first of five BelugaXL to enter into service later in 2019 and to gradually replace the BelugaST transporters. The crew in the cockpit on board this flight […]
“Now I can see the whales Looming out of the dark Like arrows in the sky I can’t believe my eyes But it’s true” The words of the French metal band Gojira could soon become a reality if you ever venture into the south-west of France. The first BelugaXL rolled out of Airbus paint shop […]
The first BelugaXL has passed the Ground Vibration Test (GVT), a requirement for certification of the aircraft that paves the way towards its maiden flight in summer 2018. The objective of this test is to measure the dynamic behaviour of the aircraft and confirm theoretical models of various flight conditions, such as manoeuvring, flying in […]
The first structurally complete airframe for the new BelugaXL rolled out from its assembly hangar in Toulouse, France this month. Once operational, a fleet of these next-generation airlifters will be used to transport completed sections of Airbus aircraft among the company’s European production sites and to its final assembly lines in France, Germany and Spain. […]
