Sized at seven meters longer and one meter wider than its BelugaST predecessor, the BelugaXL provides 30% extra transport capacity. As an example, the BelugaXL can carry two wings of an A350 XWB jetliner, while the BelugaST can only accommodate one.
With a maximum payload of 51 tonnes, the BelugaXL has a range of 4,000 km (2,200 nm).
The BelugaXL performed its maiden flight in 2018. Type Certification for the Airbus airlifter was issued in November 2019 by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which paved the way for the first BelugaXL’s service entry two months later in January 2020.
Airbus will build 6 BelugaXL aircraft, which will join the existing fleet of 5 BelugaST.
Photo: © Airbus
