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Airbus' plant in Getafe, Madrid had to build and open a hangar of 7,200 metres – over 1.75 acres – to enable the Beluga XL to be stored.
It combines part of the fuselage of the A330-200 and the A330-300, but has 30% more cargo-carrying capacity than its predecessor, the A300 Beluga, being seven metres (22'9”) longer and a metre (3'3”) wider.
Whilst the A300 Beluga was large enough to carry one A350 wing between plants, the Beluga XL is able to carry two, which will reduce the number of return trips between factories across Europe.
Airbus' profits have risen in the past year by 141% thanks to sales of the A320, and this figure is likely to rise with the help of the Beluga XL as parts for these aircraft can be shipped in fewer trips.
The Beluga XL is waiting for a licence from the European Union to allow it to take to the skies officially, and this is hoped to be imminent.
Its main hurdle was its weight: at 63 metres long and 19 metres high with a wing-span of 60 metres (just under 207 feet by 62'4” with a 197-foot wing-span), the paperwork specified two options for take-off weight, of 227 and 205 tonnes, both with a maximum landing weight of 187 tonnes – the difference being that, as the aircraft burns fuel in flight, it will be lighter on landing than on take-off.
The Beluga XL is able to fly 4,000 kilometres (2,845 miles) loaded to full capacity thanks to its two Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines, and can transport up to 51 tonnes of goods.
Like its earlier version, the 'whale' is heavier at the front than at the back.
Airbus will gradually replace its five Beluga STs – first launched in 1990 – with the Beluga XL, which will operate between 11 European destinations, increasing Airbus' industrial capacity and allowing it to meet a wider number of commercial deadlines, something which is crucial for the company to be able to compete with its direct rival, Boeing.
This said, Airbus also uses road, rail, river and sea transport to move its parts between production centres.
The Beluga XL was first unveiled in public in 2018 at the Toulouse-Blagnac aerodrome, and made its inaugural flight in the presence of 10,000 employees and subcontractors, mostly from Getafe.
Whilst awaiting authorisation, the two Beluga XLs have made just over 200 test flights totalling 700 hours, including to all its future 11 European destinations to be able to check runways and hangars were adapted for its size.
Now, with the European Air Security Agency (EASA) licence on its way, the smiling whale will be in operation for full business by the beginning of next year.
Its wide smile and eyes, which give it a whale-like appearance, were designed and chosen by Airbus employees.
Photograph of the Beluga XL: Airbus
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