Airbus Announces Plan To Build Five A330 Beluga Jets
- 10 years ago
The aircraft manufacturer Airbus has announced their plan to build a new fleet of five A330 Beluga cargo planes that will be used to carry sections of other airplanes.
The aircraft manufacturer Airbus has announced their plan to build a new fleet of five Beluga cargo planes based on the body of their A330 passenger planes. The Beluga series is the workhorse of Airbus, delivering cargo including sections of other airplanes to the production facilities around the world.
Named after the Beluga whale, because of the shape of its fuselage, the new aircraft will take over from the current A300-600ST Super Transporter models as they are built.
The new models will feature the same design with a lower cockpit to allow for loading and unloading the extended cargo bay.
According to a statement from Airbus, the new Beluga cargo planes will start to be ready to fly by the year 2019, while another report indicates the older fleet will be phased out by 2025.
Airbus is based in Toulouse, France, but they also assemble many of their parts and aircrafts in other countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, the United States, and China.
The new A330 Beluga will reportedly use some of the same parts and equipment as the passenger models.
The existing fleet was built between 1994 and 2001.
Airbus reportedly wants to double the capacity of the fleet by 2017, building hangars that can be operated in any kind of weather before the new A330 Belugas taxi in for docking.
The aircraft manufacturer Airbus has announced their plan to build a new fleet of five Beluga cargo planes based on the body of their A330 passenger planes. The Beluga series is the workhorse of Airbus, delivering cargo including sections of other airplanes to the production facilities around the world.
Named after the Beluga whale, because of the shape of its fuselage, the new aircraft will take over from the current A300-600ST Super Transporter models as they are built.
The new models will feature the same design with a lower cockpit to allow for loading and unloading the extended cargo bay.
According to a statement from Airbus, the new Beluga cargo planes will start to be ready to fly by the year 2019, while another report indicates the older fleet will be phased out by 2025.
Airbus is based in Toulouse, France, but they also assemble many of their parts and aircrafts in other countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, the United States, and China.
The new A330 Beluga will reportedly use some of the same parts and equipment as the passenger models.
The existing fleet was built between 1994 and 2001.
Airbus reportedly wants to double the capacity of the fleet by 2017, building hangars that can be operated in any kind of weather before the new A330 Belugas taxi in for docking.