BELUGA A350 XWB

Airbus has announced plans to develop five new Beluga transport aircraft, to transport large aircraft components.

The proposed plans come after the European aircraft maker’s decision to ramp-up production of its A350 XWB.

Planned to be built on the A330-platform, the Beluga will make use of existing components and equipment, and will feature lowered cockpit, cargo bay structure, and rear-end and tail.

The first of the five new Beluga airliners is scheduled to enter service in mid-2019.

Airbus uses Beluga to transport large aircraft components between its European manufacturing locations, including in the UK, Germany, Spain and France.

"With its flexibility and short transport lead-times, oversize air transport is a cornerstone of Airbus’s industrial operations."

Until the new aircraft enter service, the existing Belugas will cover around 10,000 hours each year by 2017, to serve increased production rates, reported Bloomberg.

The company is switching to a new model as the existing Beluga fleet, gradually being retired through 2025, is based on modified A300 aircraft that is no longer in production.

The latest investment is part of Airbus’s previously announced ‘the Fly 10000’ programme, which is designed to double the current Beluga capacity by 2017.

Airbus said: "With its flexibility and short transport lead-times, oversize air transport is a cornerstone of Airbus’s industrial operations."

Production of the A350, which is scheduled to enter service this year with launch customer Qatar Airways, will be increased to three aircraft a month with plans to reach ten a month by the end of 2018.

Image: Airbus uses Beluga to transport large aircraft components between its European manufacturing locations. Photo: courtesy of Jane Widdowson / Airbus SAS.

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