In a promising development for the aviation industry, Airbus Beluga Transport is on the cusp of achieving a significant milestone. The company is poised to be granted its own Aircraft Operator Certificate (AOC) in October.
Benoit Lemonnier, the Managing Director of Airbus Beluga Transport, unveiled the ambitious growth strategy for the company at the recent Air Cargo Conference in Frankfurt. The primary objective is securing an AOC, followed by the addition of more loading platforms.
Currently, the company boasts loading platforms in six strategic locations worldwide, comprising three in Asia and North America, and three in Marseille and Toulouse. Looking ahead to 2026, the carrier envisions deploying up to 20 container-deployable units in pivotal locations across the globe.
Over the next year, the company plans to introduce three mobile units capable of being transported aboard the aircraft. These versatile loaders can accommodate cargo up to an impressive 12 meters in length and weighing up to 23 tonnes.
Beluga Transport is poised to emerge as a dedicated Airbus subsidiary, entrusted with the operation and marketing of five BelugaST freighters. Until 2021, these formidable aircraft were instrumental in ferrying essential aircraft components for Airbus. Subsequently, some of the ST freighters transitioned to commercial operations under the aegis of Airbus’ internal airline, Airbus Transport International (ATI), and were marketed through Airbus Customer Services.
One of the defining features of the BelugaST is its awe-inspiring cargo bay, measuring 7.1 meters in height, 6.7 meters in width, and an astonishing 39 meters in length. This unparalleled capacity ushers in a new era for shippers seeking to transport oversized items by air.
While the military sector can leverage the BelugaST for tasks like transporting helicopters, a plethora of other industries stand to benefit. Lemonnier highlighted potential applications in aviation, oil and gas, mechanical engineering, and automotive sectors.
Lemonnier also shed light on the backdrop against which Beluga Transport emerges – the ongoing Russian conflict with Ukraine. This geopolitical event led to the withdrawal of Antonov freighters operated by the Russian Volga-Dnepr Group, resulting in a restricted capacity for transporting oversized cargo.
Airbus has been progressively replacing its BelugaST fleet with six new BelugaXLs, based on the larger A330-200 platform.
