The Airbus Beluga XL (Airbus A330-743L) is a large transport aircraft based on the Airbus A330 airliner. The aircraft entered service with Airbus Transport on 9 January 2020
to replace the Airbus Beluga in the movement of oversized aircraft components, for example wings. The Beluga XL made its first flight on 19 July 2018, and received its type certification on 13 November 2019.
It made its first operational flight on January 9, 2020, and by January 20, had entered full-time service
The existing Belugas will not be withdrawn from service when the Beluga XL is introduced; a mixed fleet is to operate for at least five years as the increased production rate of single-aisle aircraft requires the ability to move more parts.
The current Beluga fleet flew more than 8000 hours in 2017, doubled from 2014, but the five Beluga fleet is only at its half-life: another operator could use them for civil or military logistic applications.
The Beluga fleet will rise to eight when three XLs will be delivered as the five originals stay in service before being withdrawn from 2021. The original Beluga fleet is reaching its limits, flying five times daily and six days per week: 10,000 hr in 2017 while some parts move on the surface. An original Beluga takes triple the time to move the A330 parts compared to the parts of an A320, climbing to nine times for the A350 parts.
After the A350 production ramp-up, Airbus aims to deliver 880 aircraft in 2019 and raise the A320neo output to 63 per month by 2021, the fleet was expanded with a sixth example in June 2019. The original Belugas could still have 10–20 years’ flying life and will be offered for sale or to serve external customers.
