Airbus BelugaST completes final flight from France to the UK

The Airbus BelugaST completed its final operational flight on January 29, flying from Bordeaux, France, to the United Kingdom, bringing to an end almost 30 years of service as part of the manufacturer’s internal logistics network.

The aircraft, an Airbus A300-608ST Beluga registered as F-GSTF, departed Bordeaux and landed in the North Wales after a flight of approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. The flight marked the last mission of the type in active service, concluding its role transporting large aircraft components between Airbus production sites across Europe.

Introduced in the mid-1990s, the BelugaST was developed to support Airbus’ distributed manufacturing model. Based on the A300 airframe, the aircraft featured an enlarged upper fuselage designed to carry oversized cargo, most notably wings produced in the United Kingdom for final assembly in France, Germany, and Spain.

The fleet became a critical element of Airbus’ industrial operations, enabling rapid and predictable movement of components that could not be transported by conventional cargo aircraft.

The aircraft involved in the final flight entered service in the late 1990s and accumulated thousands of flight hours moving wings and other major structures between Airbus facilities. Over time, the BelugaST became one of the most recognizable transport aircraft in global aviation due to its distinctive profile.

Airbus announced the retirement of the BelugaST fleet in 2025 as it transitions to the newer and larger Beluga XL, which is based on the A330 platform and offers increased payload volume.

Following its final flight, the BelugaST will remain in the UK, where Airbus plans to repurpose the aircraft for educational use, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. While no longer flying, the aircraft will continue to serve as a physical link to Airbus’ industrial history and the logistics system that supported the company’s growth over the past three decades.

The flight effectively closes the operational chapter of the BelugaST program, which played a central role in Airbus’ production system from 1994 until its gradual replacement by the Beluga XL.

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