Airbus is establishing an all-new cargo airline using its fleet of five Beluga "Super Transporter" planes.
The aircraft will fly outsized freight, like satellites, helicopters, and military equipment, for contract customers.
The new entity comes as air cargo continues to be in high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After decades of flying large aircraft sections for the in-house assembly of Airbus planes, the BelugaST 'Super Transporter' is getting a second life hauling "outsized freight" for contract customers.
Airbus BelugaST.
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).
Airbus BelugaST.
The massive plane stands 56 feet tall, has a 24-foot diameter fuselage, has a range of up to 2,500 nautical miles, and can carry over 100,000 pounds of payload.
Airbus BelugaST.
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.
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.
Despite being replaced, the BelugaST still has plenty of flight hours left in its life cycle and the company sees a purpose for the fleet elsewhere.
Airbus BelugaST.
According to Airbus, during its life flying for ATI, the Super Transporter sometimes operated outside of its normal duties of flying plane sections. Instead, it occasionally hauled other pieces of large cargo, like fully assembled satellites and oversized machinery for various companies.
Airbus BelugaST.
Because of its operating history, Airbus is re-purposing the five-strong Super Transporter fleet as a dedicated airline for hauling oversized freight for markets beyond commercial planes.
Airbus BelugaST.
The airline will be known as Airbus Beluga Transport and comes as the pandemic created a boom in air cargo, pushing prices and demand up. 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.
Moreover, port congestion causing shipping delays also increases the need for air cargo, increasing demand and pushing airlines to take on more shipments.
Touring the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
"Whereas the ATI structure is inherently focused around the European network of Airbus' plants, the new airline which we will create will be flexible and agile to address the needs of external markets," Phillippe Sabo, head of ATI Air Oversize Transport at Airbus, said in a press release.
Airbus BelugaST.
Airbus explained both versions will operate in parallel until the BelugaXL is fully commissioned. But, once the Super Transporter fleet is phased out, it will operate with its own staff under its own Aircraft Operator Certificate.
Airbus BelugaST and BelugaXL.
According to the company, the BelugaST could carry cargo for industry sectors like engine and helicopter manufacturers, space industries, oil, gas, and energy providers, humanitarian supply distributors, and the military.
Airbus BelugaST.
This kind of cargo transport is possible because of the BelugaST's massive interior cross-section, which is the largest of any transport aircraft in the world. The space can accommodate outsized cargo as large as 7.1 meters in width and 6.7 meters in height.
Airbus Beluga Transport info sheet.
"For example, customers could consider in their future manufacturing process to make larger parts to be transported whole without prior disassembly," Sabo noted.
Airbus BelugaST.
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. The massive plane flew the route in December 2021, stopping for fuel in various transit cities, including Warsaw, Poland; Novosibirsk, Russia; and Seoul, South Korea.
Airbus BelugaST loading helicopter.
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.
Airbus BelugaST loading helicopter.
Sabo also noted that the service can be used for other machinery, like satellites and engines. 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 large. But, the Super Transporter "will relieve that constraint."
Airbus BelugaST loading a fuselage section.
Another example of a potential BelugaST service is transporting a full engine-change kit to grounded aircraft, allowing maintenance teams to change the engine in a matter of hours.
10 Tanker aircraft engine
"This is possible because the Beluga can transport the engine and inlet in a fully dressed configuration," Sabo explained. "Whereas with other air transport means the engine would first need to be partially dismantled, and would subsequently need around two days to reassemble and re-test."
Airbus BelugaST.
To handle the demand of the new international operation, Airbus is modifying the Super Transporter with a new flight management system and new loading techniques and equipment.
Airbus BelugaST.
Specifically, Airbus is developing an automated onboard cargo loader (OBCL) to "enable missions from/to airports which do not have available any suitable loading/unloading platform." Moreover, the OBCL will be able to handle payloads up to 20 tons, can be stored and transported inside the plane, and can load and unload autonomously.
Airbus BelugaST.
In addition to the OBCL, the company is redesigning its Outboard Platform (OP) to handle the heavier and longest payloads. 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.
Airbus BelugaST.
The last innovation design is Airbus’ new Multi-Purpose Pallet (MPP) specifically developed to raise cargo five meters above the ground and load directly into the Beluga’s nose. The MPP’s first operational mission was the BelugaST’s flight to Kobe, Japan.
Airbus BelugaST used for flight to Kobe, Japan.
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