Paris (AFP)
The first BelugaXL, an oversized cargo plane intended to transport parts of aircraft between the various production sites of Airbus, entered into service, announced Monday the European aircraft manufacturer.
This aircraft, whose hump above the cockpit evokes that of the cetacean, offers a transport capacity 30% higher than that of its predecessor, the BelugaST. It will "support the ramp-up during production of civil aircraft programs," said Airbus in a press release.
"With a length of 63 meters and a fuselage diameter of 8 meters, the BelugaXL has the largest hold section of any existing cargo aircraft in the world," he said, adding that it can carry two wings of 'an A350 widebody when the BelugaST could only take one.
Derived from the A330-200, it can transport 51 tonnes over 4,000 kilometers and "will be operated on 11 destinations in Europe" between the aircraft manufacturer's various factories in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and even Spain.
The aircraft, which made its first flight on July 19, 2018, obtained certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in November after 700 hours of flight testing.
It must be produced in six copies. The American Boeing, for its part, has four copies of a cargo ship intended for internal use, the Dreamlifter, derived from the B747-400.
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