Aircraft
Airbus BelugaXL Receives EASA Type Certification
The oversize airlifter will enter service in early 2020 transporting complete aircraft sections across the OEM’s European production network.
Airbus's BelugaXL has earned approval from EASA, setting the stage for service entry next year.
Airbus's BelugaXL has earned approval from EASA, setting the stage for service entry next year.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued type certification for the Airbus BelugaXL, enabling the whale-shaped oversize air transporter’s entry into service by early 2020 and securing the OEM’s planned production ramp-ups. Like its predecessor, the BelugaST—also known as A300-600ST Super Transporter—the BelugaXL will be used for carrying complete sections of Airbus aircraft from different production sites around Europe to the final assembly lines in Toulouse, France, and Hamburg, Germany. It is powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 700 turbofan engines suspended on underwing pylons and has a range of 2,200 nautical miles (4,074km) with a maximum payload of 51 tonnes.