Airbus' super freighter mimics characteristics of the beluga whale. [Courtesy: Airbus]
Key Takeaways:
Airbus has launched "Airbus Beluga Transport," a new commercial service utilizing its distinctive Beluga ST super-transporter aircraft to offer logistics solutions for outsized cargo to external customers.
The service leverages the Beluga's exceptionally wide internal cross-section, enabling the transport of large, fully assembled items like helicopters or large aircraft engines, which other aircraft cannot accommodate.
This commercialization is driven by Airbus phasing out its older Beluga STs for internal use (replacing them with XL models) and addresses an increased global demand for heavy-lift air cargo capacity, particularly for project cargoes, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on FreightWaves.com.
Airbus said Tuesday it is commercializing its in-house fleet of Beluga supersize jets used to transport large aircraft components between manufacturing sites to offer logistics companies and other organizations airlift for outsized shipments.
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Eric is the Air Cargo Market Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government coverage and news analysis, and was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. Eric is based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com
