Airbus BelugaXL: Take Off and Maiden Flight 2018

"The BelugaXL was launched in November 2014 to address the transport and ramp-up capacity requirements for Airbus beyond 2019. Derived from the freighter version of Airbus’ A330-200 jetliner, the BelugaXL is six metres longer, one metre wider and has a payload lifting capacity four-tonnes-greater than the current Beluga A300-600ST. To be operated by the Airbus Transport International (ATI) subsidiary, the fleet of five BelugaXLs will take over transporting complete sections of Airbus aircraft among the company’s production sites around Europe and to final assembly lines in France, Germany and Spain.

Airbus' no. 1 BelugaXL – whose livery features beluga whale-inspired eyes and an enthusiastic grin – accelerates down the runway at France’s Toulouse-Blagnac Airport before lifting off on its maiden flight, performed 19 July 2018. The livery - making it look like a Beluga Whale - was one of six choices submitted to Airbus employees through a poll where 20,000 people participated. With 40% votes in favour, the smiley livery won.

The BelugaXL’s maiden flight – which began and concluded at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport on 19 July 2018 – initiated a certification campaign that will lead to this next-generation oversize airlifter’s service entry in 2019. The first of five BelugaXL aircraft to fly has landed at Toulouse-Blagnac, France at 14:41 hrs local time after successfully completing its first flight lasting four hours and 11 minutes. The crew in the cockpit on board this flight comprised: Captain Christophe Cail, Co-Pilot Bernardo Saez-Benito Hernandez and Test-Flight Engineer Jean Michel Pin. Meanwhile, monitoring the aircraft systems and performance in real-time at the flight-test-engineer’s (FTE) station were Laurent Lapierre and Philippe Foucault. Following the first flight, the BelugaXL will undergo some 600 hours of flight test over 10 months to achieve Type Certification and entry into service later in 2019."

Specs
Capacity: 53 t (117,000 lb) payload
Length: 63.1 m (207 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 60.3 m (197 ft 10 in)
Height: 18.9 m (62 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 361.6 m² (3,892 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 10.1
Max takeoff weight: 227,000 kg (500,449 lb)
Maximum landing weight: 187 t (412,000 lb)
Maximum zero fuel weight: 178 t (392,000 lb)
Empty weight: 125 t (276,000 lb)
Fuselage diameter: 8.8 m (29 ft)
Cargo hold: 2,615 m³ (92,300 cu ft) volume
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Trent 700 turbofan, 316 kN (71,000 lbf) thrust each

Development and production costs for 5 BelugaXL: 1.000.000.000 Euros