Airbus BelugaST

The Airbus BelugaST, officially designated the A300-600ST, was developed from the Airbus A300-600 widebody airliner. It features a dramatically enlarged upper fuselage and a hinged forward cargo door that swings open above the lowered cockpit. The aircraft first flew in 1994 and was built primarily to transport oversized Airbus aircraft components between European production facilities.

The BelugaST is based on the older A300-600 airframe, while the BelugaXL is based on the newer and larger Airbus A330-200 platform, giving it approximately 30 percent more cargo capacity. The BelugaXL entered service in the early 2020s to replace the BelugaST fleet for Airbus internal transport operations. Six BelugaXL aircraft were planned to supersede the five original BelugaST aircraft.

The BelugaST's distinctive bulbous upper fuselage earned it the nickname 'Beluga' after the beluga whale, whose rounded head shape it resembles. The enlarged fuselage was necessitated by the requirement to transport complete Airbus fuselage sections, wings, and other oversized components that do not fit in standard cargo aircraft. The cockpit was lowered to accommodate the massive upward-hinging cargo door.

Airbus uses the BelugaST to carry oversized aircraft components between its manufacturing sites across Europe, including fuselage sections, wings, and horizontal tail planes destined for final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg. The cargo is too large for standard freight aircraft like the Boeing 747 Freighter. The BelugaST fleet has been operated by Airbus Transport International since the mid-1990s.