Airbus’ last operating BelugaST (“Super Transporter”) took to the skies for its final flight yesterday, (the 29th of January 2026,) marking the end of more than thirty years of service.
This iconic cargo plane, the A300-600, had been specially modified to transport oversized loads like wings and other aircraft parts between Airbus production sites across Europe.
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| AIRBUS A300-608ST BELUGA F-GSTD (MSN 776) |
Its distinctive bulging shape comes from cutting off the top of an A300-600 and merging it with the upper part of another fuselage. Cargo is loaded and unloaded through the aircraft’s upper front section, which swings open upward, right above the cockpit.
Airbus once operated a fleet of five of these aircraft, which in 1994 took over from the Super Guppy, a heavily modified Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. Which, one of those is on display at the Airbus Aeroscopia museum in Toulouse, France.
Since 2020, the BelugaST has been gradually replaced by the BelugaXL, which keeps the same design concept as its predecessor but is built on the more modern Airbus A330. The BelugaXL offers Airbus 30% more space and range than the ST for similar missions.
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| AIRBUS A330-743L F0GXLN (MSN 2027) |
I believe Airbus attempted to give its aging BelugaST fleet a new lease on life by offering them to third-party cargo operators. Unfortunately, the plan didn’t pan out as hoped. In 2025, Airbus shut down Airbus Beluga Transport (AiBT), the cargo-focused subsidiary created for this very purpose, marking the end of the road for the BelugaST fleet.
The final BelugaST flight was carried out by the fifth aircraft in the series, registered as F-GSTF (MSN 796). Before making its last landing at Hawarden (CEG/EGNR), the airport serving the Airbus Broughton factory, it treated spectators to a low-level fly-by over the airport.
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