Airbus creates an airline that will replace the operators of out-of-gauge loads

Created on 26.01.2022 17:44

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus is entering the growing air cargo market and will compete with airlines such as Volga-Dnepr and Antonov Airlines. The European giant launched a new service and will operate out-of-gauge loads using its own Beluga ST (A300-600ST Super Transporter) ultra-large aircrafts. Baikonur is seen as one of the potential airports.

The first commercial flight operated by Beluga ST has already been completed: at the end of 2021, using the board No. 3, a heavy transport helicopter was delivered from the Airbus Helicopters plant in Marignane (France) to Kobe (Japan). Having a limited range, the liner was refueled in Warsaw (Poland), Novosibirsk (Russia) and Seoul (Korea).

The new service called the Airbus Beluga Transport is focused on different customers, including space, energy, aviation, maritime and humanitarian cargo.

At the first stage, commercial transportation will be handled by Airbus' ATI, Air Transport International division. In the near future, the Beluga ST fleet will be handed over to a subsidiary with its own air operator certificate and staff when all the six Beluga XLs will be commissioned.

The cargo bay of the Beluga ST has the largest internal cross-section among all cargo liners worldwide and can accommodate a cargo up to 7.1m wide and 6.7m high. The length of the cargo bay is 39 m, the maximum carrying capacity is 40 tons.

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