Airbus Beluga XL

Airbus Beluga XL
Computer rendering of Beluga XL
Role	Outsize cargo freight aircraft
Manufacturer	Airbus
First flight	Expected 2018
Introduction	Expected 2019
Status	Under development
Primary user	Airbus Transport International
Produced	2016-present
Developed from	Airbus A330-200

The Airbus Beluga XL is a planned large transport aircraft based on the A330-200 airliner, to be the successor to the Airbus Beluga. The XL has an extension on the fuselage top like the Beluga. It is being designed, built and will be operated by Airbus to move oversized aircraft parts. The program was launched in November 2014 to build five aircraft, with 30% more capacity than the existing five Belugas. It will be able to carry two A350 XWB wings instead of one. The design freeze was announced on 16 September 2015. The first section has arrived in Toulouse in November 2016. Final assembly started on 8 December 2016.

The aircraft's lower fuselage will be assembled on the A330 final assembly line. It will then be moved to another facility for the year-long process of assembling the upper fuselage and the lowered nose fuselage. The first Beluga XL will enter service in 2019. The new aircraft will be 6 metres longer and one metre wider than the Beluga, and will be able to lift a payload six tons heavier. The existing Belugas will not be withdrawn from service when the Beluga XL is introduced; a mixed fleet is to operate for at least five years. The increased production rate of single-aisle aircraft requires the ability to move more parts.

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