Airbus has announced it has terminated its oversized cargo transport business that operates the iconic BelugaST aircraft.
The news comes after the Airbus Beluga Transport (AiBT) division was granted its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC) in November 2023.
A fleet of four Airbus A300-600STs, the ‘original Beluga’, had been operating since 1995 to transport oversized cargo such as aircraft engines, helicopters and satellites.
An Airbus spokesperson told Aviation Business News (ABN): “We confirm that the decision has been taken to terminate the Airbus Beluga Transport (AiBT) business for outsized cargo missions. All flights operated by the BelugaST fleet are suspended as of now.”
In 2019, Airbus started to phase out the BelugaST aircraft to make way for the even larger Beluga XL, which is based on the A330 and operated by a different Airbus entity, Airbus Transport International (ATI). Six A330-700ST Beluga XLs remain in operation to transport aircraft parts between Airbus manufacturing sites.
ABN is awaiting further comment from Airbus to gain more insight into its reasons for terminating the AiBT division.
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