Airbus BelugaST F-GSTD makes final flight before retirement

The Airbus BelugaST registered as F-GSTD has been retired after performing its final flight on September 17. The aircraft, the third built in the fleet of five, has now been placed into storage following nearly three decades of service transporting oversized aircraft components.

The BelugaST, formally known as the A300-600ST, was developed in the 1990s from the Airbus A300 passenger jet to support the company’s production system. Its distinctive shape and cargo hold made it possible to carry entire fuselage sections and wings between Airbus facilities across Europe.

Airbus replaced the BelugaST with the larger BelugaXL, based on the A330-200, which offers greater capacity. As part of the transition, three BelugaSTs – F-GSTA, F-GSTB and F-GSTE – had already been withdrawn, with F-GSTD now following them into retirement. Only F-GSTF remains available for potential reactivation.

The company briefly sought to extend the type’s life through Airbus Beluga Transport, a dedicated airline created in 2022 to offer outsized cargo flights to external customers.

Despite securing an Air Operator Certificate and flying limited missions in 2023, Airbus abandoned the venture in early 2025, leading to the accelerated phase-out of the older aircraft.

While the BelugaXL now handles Airbus’s heavy-lift needs, the original BelugaST remains one of the most recognizable special-mission aircraft ever built.

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